Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTThe most widely read and enduring interpretation of the classic Babylonian epic: a timeless story of friendship, loss, love, and the desperate quest to cheat death, rendered in stunning verseFew stories have endured as long—or cut as deep—as the epic of Gilgamesh. First composed in ancient Babylon over four thousand years ago, this sweeping tale follows a hero-king whose bond with the wild man Enkidu awakens him to the full measure of what it means to be human. When tragedy strikes, Gilgamesh is shattered—and sets out to outrun death itself.Poet Herbert Mason's luminous retelling bridges the millennia between Gilgamesh's origins and the modern day, transforming this ancient masterpiece into urgent, breathing verse. Acclaimed for its lyric beauty and scholarly depth, this is the edition that has introduced generations to one of literature's greatest treasures. It is essential reading for fans of other ancient heroic epics, from The Odyssey to Beowulf.A finalist for the National Book Award, Herbert Mason's retelling is at once a triumph of scholarship, a masterpiece of style, and a labor of love that grew out of the poet's long affinity with the original. Read more