This brilliant new treatment of the oldest epic in the world is a literary event. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell breathes life into a 3,700-year-old classic, delivering a lithe and muscular rendering that shows how startlingly alive Gilgamesh is, how filled with intelligence and beauty. It is the story of literature's first hero, an historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, and his journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned.
Download and start listening now!
"It was a decent book. The beginning provided a lot of background information on the gods and goddesses, Gilgamesh, historical aspects of the time era, and how the story was found to begin with. That part was a little boring but the story itself was good. It displayed a lot of character development and emotion. Overall, I liked it."
— Katherine (4 out of 5 stars)
" My first foray into the many epics studied as an English education major... I was more intrigued by the history of it than the actual story. "
— Christine, 2/7/2014" This is a great translation. Fun playful, yet captures the deep emotion of the events. "
— Brad, 2/6/2014" How does one review the timeless, except to say that even today, four thousand years later, we joke about the idea of women civilizing men. The past may be a different country, but maybe it's not as different as we think. "
— Marcin, 2/4/2014" Really good translation - the language added so much to the story. "
— pri, 1/22/2014" One Of The WORST Books I've Ever Read In School... "
— ♥, 1/9/2014" Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I had been reading it for fun. I read it for class and honestly it's way over my head. "
— Jeannette, 12/13/2013" Simply a must read for anyone who dares enter into a conversation of any kind of human, earth and religious history. "
— Tal, 7/29/2013" Well, they weren't homophobic back then... "
— Geoffrey, 3/22/2013" A quick and interesting read, especially considering it's considered to be the oldest written story known to-date. I was especially interested in the flood story contained in here; one of many or is this the original story of Noah and the Ark? "
— John, 9/9/2012" I had to read this book for my Western Humanities class. It wasn't too bad. A pretty quick read. It was a good basis for the beginning of modern man starting with Mesopotamia. "
— Kristina, 8/27/2012" A must read for anyone literate on Earth. It's full of academic dissection and explanations and other wild guesses, and it's always good to take a delve into the mind of early civilised man. "
— Kamilah, 7/3/2012" My son John Opfer recommended it becomes of its age and classic status. I was rather shocked at the earthy language and events. It was intriguing, interesting. I definitely learned something. Plus I can say I read it. "
— Sally, 3/28/2012" A classic read, however the writing is pretty hard to follow. I listened to an audio, standard English version that made it so much better. The story is actually quite good. "
— Sarah, 1/17/2012" In my favorite translation of this work, N.K. Sandars does an admirable job structuring the tale as prose, making one of the oldest and most important works in global literary history easily accessible to all. "
— Cliff, 12/25/2011" I found this like the mesopotamian version of hercules a little , was quite entertaining though "
— Cranberrycuppycakes, 5/22/2011" I read the translation by Mason--absolutely wonderful, but not an option on good reads so I am using this one. I have no way to tell whether any translations is accurate. "
— Caroline, 5/21/2011" Not sure how I felt about the translator's fondness for perfect rhymes but was particularly moved by the passages dealing with Enkidu's imminent death. Good stuff. "
— Clara, 5/2/2011" How does one review the timeless, except to say that even today, four thousand years later, we joke about the idea of women civilizing men. The past may be a different country, but maybe it's not as different as we think. "
— Marcin, 4/28/2011" The story is not my favorite, but I applaud the translation here. I've read the story before, but this one moves a lot more smoothly and that makes it easier to focus on what's actually happening in the plot. "
— Krissy, 4/22/2011" A bit of a slog. Probably worthwhile for historical purposes, more than for its own sake. "
— Sean, 4/13/2011" Had to read it for a college class. It was okay, hard to get through for me... "
— Jessica, 4/5/2011" A fine new version of the Gilgamesh tale. The translator's notes at the beginning of the book are very helpful, which is not often the case with these kinds of books. Recommended. "
— Timothy, 3/27/2011" This was an interesting read. I read it while walking on my treadmill. Yep, it's kinda short. Being the oldest book, ever, I guess that's ok. <br/>I'm not sure what to say. I think you have to read it for yourself to understand it. "
— Kelly, 3/26/2011Stephen Mitchell was born in Brooklyn in 1943, educated at Amherst, the Sorbonne, and Yale, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. His many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, and The Second Book of the Tao, as well as The Gospel according to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, and Meetings with the Archangel.
John McDonough, one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices, has narrated dozens of audiobooks, and won eleven Earphones Awards. He is known for his narrations of children’s books, including Robert McCloskey’s Centerburg Tales and Albert Marrin’s Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Outside of his audiobook work, he has starred in a revival of Captain Kangaroo on the Fox Network.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.