The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

Very interesting book overall. Especially important to appreciate how the Bible rests on parables and fables 1000 years older than the O.T., coming form other religions/cultures.

I've read a lot of versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. For the the ancient history buff or scholar, this is a must have.

Great book, just got it in today very fast shipping as I requested. No damages on the book came in perfect condition as well without any issues. the book has no mistake when reading in it from words or any printing errors.

Ordinarily the Norton Critical edition would be my favorite edition of a work, given all the additional materials offered, and this one is a fine entry in the series, worth five stars. I happen to prefer for scholarly purposes the Andrew George single volume edition, George being the scholar with the fine two volume critical edition of the text. But this one is quite fine and very helpful, and at a number of points I prefer the translation (to the degree I can make an informed judgement--based largely on the two texts mentioned).

The Norton Critical Edition of "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is a fairly recent translation of what is currently the oldest known epic. The epic was translated by Benjamin R. Foster. The book also includes "The Sumerian Gilgamesh Poems", translated by Douglas Frayne, and "The Hittite Gilgamesh", translated by Gary Beckman. In addition, there is "The Gilgamesh Letter", several essays discussing the epic, and an Introduction section which helps those who are new to the Epic with their first reading. The translation uses the "standard version" associated with Sin-leqe-unninni as its base, and supplements it with parts from other versions where there are gaps. There are also comments in the text to help the reader follow the passages easier.An area of weakness of this book was in the area of editorial comments. For example, Mr. Foster states in the introduction:"There is no evidence that The Epic of Gilgamesh began as an oral narrative performed by bards or reciters and coalesced into a written text only later. In fact, the poem as we now have it shows many signs of having been a formal, written, literary work composed and perhaps performed for well-educated people, especially scholars and members of a royal court."This is in sharp contrast with other opinions which I have read regarding the origins of the Epic. While it may be that there is no conclusive proof one way or another, there clearly is some evidence to support the theory that it did begin as an oral narrative, just as there is evidence that it may not have. If Mr. Foster completely disregards the evidence on the other side of the argument, then one is left to wonder if there are other "facts" provided by the editor that are equally suspect. When comparing this translation to those by Alexander Heidel and Stephanie Dalley, one can see significant differences at the start of the epic where the other editors use as evidence which suggests that this was an oral narrative originally. Mr. Foster's translation though is worded in a way that does not suggest an oral origin.On the whole, this was a very readable translation of the Epic. The supplementary material included is also very good. While I may disagree with some of the editor's opinions about the history of the work and the way he presents the evidence, this is still a good choice to read.

Happy with the item

Had to read it for school, enjoyed it very much.

Translating the epic of Gilgamesh is even more difficult than other examples of ancient literature, simply because we do not have a complete version of the story. That said, this translation does a great job of presenting a coherent narrative, by blending together the most complete versions that do exist. The reader is aware of what episodes are missing from what versions, but overall the emphasis is on readability, and it pays off. I found myself getting caught up in the 4000-year-old tale, which still has the ability to move and excite even now.The additional tales of Gilgamesh and the scholarship and criticism presented in this edition were also helpful in gaining perspective and context.

The book is in excellent condition and I received it well before the promised due date.

nuova traduzione con altre aggiunte e nuove aggiunte alle traduzioni

EIne sorgfaeltige Ausgabe des Gilgamesch Epos mit vielen Informationen und Variationen aus der verschiedenen Voelker Mesopotamiens. Die Uebersetzung ist fliessend und verstaendlich .

Quatro mil anos se passaram desde que foi escrito em argila, e mesmo assim o “Épico de Gilgamesh” continua fascinando os leitores contemporâneos, com seu líder Gilgamesh, rei de Uruk – primeira cidade histórica do mundo –, e seu companheiro – o “selvagem” Enkidu. O épico inicialmente chamou a atenção dos críticos bíblicos pela descrição do dilúvio – reportado muito antes do antigo testamento. Igualmente fascinante foi a abordagem do conflito entre deuses, a luta do homem com a natureza, e o reconhecimento de sua própria mortalidade; espelhando assim a eterna tentativa do homem em achar o seu lugar na sociedade e dentro do cosmos; muito parecido com os dilemas encontrados nos poemas de Homero, Hamlet e Eclesiastes, certo? Além de abordar importantes temas metafísicos, o épico narra a saga de dois amigos, Gilgamesh e Enkidu; a devoção recíproca, que persiste mesmo após a morte. Em suma, o épico contém tudo o que os leitores esperam de uma grande e intensa narrativa: paisagens fantásticas (em nossa imaginação), personagens exóticos, missões desgastantes, viagens difíceis, batalhas heroicas, seres sobrenaturais. Gilgamesh é, acima de tudo, a emocionante estória de um herói épico que se levanta para cada desafio com grande coragem e determinação.# Por juntar fragmentos de narrativas de antigas versões, esta edição é bem mais completa e tem a minha predileção.

I was a bit uncertain about buying this as the Penguin edition was a bit cheaper in my local store, but needless to say I'm glad I did as it provides a really good translation and supporting critical material to a very interesting text.