Reviews

Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle

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mtthompson's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyed it

jrdnfrmn's review against another edition

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I don’t really find it appropriate to rate one of the oldest surviving works of literature. We are over 4,000 years removed from the text & there is nothing fitting to compare it to. I think it’s important to approach as a humble observer and if nothing else, appreciate the fact that we have always valued friendship, honor, & the idea of eternal life.

srclary's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

roach's review against another edition

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adventurous informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.

I didn't know a single thing about The Epic of Gilgamesh beforehand but was curious to read (a version of) one of the oldest recorded fictional stories and see what people made up to entertain each other 4000 years ago.
This release with a contextual introduction and translation/collation by N.K. Sandars is a bit older and I don't know if in the years since its release there have been any major discoveries of new pieces to the puzzle, but for a first general touching point with this ancient text, I thought it was satisfiable.
About half the book gives context of the story's origins, how its different pieces and versions were discovered over time, and how one goes on to translate and put together what we know. Then the second half is Sandars' actual translation of the legendary story.

keep in mind that my rating for this isn't just based of my enjoyment of the Gilgamesh story but also (and probably more so) on the section of historical context and in a way the style or quality of the translation.
I felt like the introductory first half of the book gave me a very good overview of the story's place in time. Surely there is much more that can be said about it and I know there are plenty of books out there that do, but for me this relatively short text was all I really wanted for now.
The Gilgamesh story itself is fine. It has some cool ways to describe things and it's fascinating to read the elements that pre-dated major points in the Bible. But I described the story to friends as an ancient dudebro frat boy story. The relationship between the mighty Gilgamesh and Enkidu gave me mental images of two beefy dudes high-fiving and caressing each others' muscles every day, which was a bit funny in its own right. The (surely unintentional) slightly homoerotic undertones of their bromance is a nice bonus. Also, speaking of Enkidu, he is a much more interesting character than Gilgamesh and I wish the epic was more about him.

I could see myself dig a bit deeper with other, more recent texts about Gilgamesh if curiosity strikes. This was an interesting enough read for now.

crystalstarrlight's review against another edition

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4.0

Bullet Review:

Really a joy to read; the essay at the end got a bit long (and goes from simply elaborating on the time to analyzing every segment of Gilgamesh, like a Cliff Notes or analysis), but overall, it was thrilling to read the oldest work of fiction left in existence. Really shows how some aspects of humanity haven't changed at all.