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Gilgamesh

A New Translation of the Ancient Epic

Sophus Helle

$24.95

Paperback

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English
Yale University
26 January 2023
A poem for the ages, freshly and accessibly translated by an international rising star, bringing together scholarly precision and poetic grace

  “Sophus Helle’s new translation . . . [is] a thrilling, enchanting, desperate thing to read.”—Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe

  “Looks to be the last word on this Babylonian masterpiece.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

  Gilgamesh is a Babylonian story about love between men, loss and grief, the confrontation with death; the destruction of nature; insomnia and restlessness, finding peace in one’s community, the voice of women, the folly of gods, heroes, and monsters—and more. Translating directly from the Akkadian, Sophus Helle offers a literary translation that reproduces the original epic’s poetic effects, including its succinct clarity and enchanting cadence. Millennia after its composition, Gilgamesh continues to speak to us in myriad ways.

By:  
Imprint:   Yale University
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 235mm,  Width: 156mm,  Spine: 27mm
ISBN:   9780300268096
ISBN 10:   0300268092
Pages:   320
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Sophus Helle is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Freie Universitat Berlin. He previously translated Gilgamesh into Danish with his father, the poet Morten Sondergaard.

Reviews for Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic

“Looks to be the last word on this Babylonian masterpiece.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post “Lively, earthy, and scrupulous in its scholarship.”—Robert Macfarlane, New York Review of Books “This recent translation by Sophus Helle is the best I’ve read: the writing is so fresh.”—Killian Fox, The Guardian “Sophus Helle’s Gilgamesh is woven of earthly, muscular language that breathes an epic of gutsy dreams and ancient knowhow. In Helle’s rendition, this scholar truly translates rhythm and movement until Gilgamesh breathes anew.”—Yusef Komunyakaa, author of Everyday Mojo Songs of Earth “The translation is elegant and eloquent. The essays and elucidations are learned, lively, and hugely illuminating. Sophus Helle is a poet, a scholar, and, if truth be told, a genius.”—Marshall Brown, University of Washington “Helle’s new translation reminds us just what a miracle it is that Gilgamesh has survived, an emblem of mortality available only in fragments, yet speaking to our mortal loves and fears with undying force.”—Wai Chee Dimock, Yale University   “A dazzling work of scholarship that manages complex topics with elegance and thoughtfulness.”—Louise Pryke, University of Sydney   “A fresh and vital translation, alive to the music of the original, and accompanied by essays offering crucial background and insightful analysis, Helle’s Gilgamesh will bring the ancient poem to life for new audiences.”—Alexander Beecroft, University of South Carolina Praise for the Danish edition:   “One of those miracles that makes life worth living.”—Bjørn Bredal, Politiken   “Both brilliantly clear and archaically dusky. . . . One dares predict that this new Danish translation of Gilgamesh will become a classic in our country.”—Erik Skyum-Nielsen, Information   “There is every reason to have a go at this wonderful, lively, wild, and violent encounter with a fascinating early portrait of the human animal: grim, dumb, and yet so clever.”—Mikkel Bruun Zangenberg, Weekendavisen


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