| Title | : | Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0691205167 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 978-0691205168 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Inbunden, Pocketbok |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 pages |
| Publication | : | Princeton University Press |
Gilgamesh is the most ancient long poem known to exist. It is also the newest classic in the canon of world literature. Lost for centuries to the sands of the Middle East but found again in the 1850s, it is a story of monsters, gods, and cataclysms, and of intimate friendship and love. Acclaimed literary historian Michael Schmidt provides a unique meditation on the rediscovery of Gilgamesh, showing how part of its special fascination is its captivating otherness. He reflects on the work of leading poets such as Charles Olson, Louis Zukofsky, and Yusef Komunyakaa, whose own encounters with the poem are revelatory, and he reads its many translations and editions to bring it vividly to life for today's readers.
Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem Reviews
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A very interesting retelling of Gilgamesh based on different versions and translations as well as translators' comments. It is very amusing to read after having read the text.
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This book is absolutely wonderful. It's a delightful mix of archaeology, scholarship, linguistics, literature, and history. It's very friendly and easy to read, yet I felt like I was getting smarter just by reading it. I was enthralled by all the interesting stuff that made perfect sense yet I had never learned before.I used this as a reference when I taught Gilgamesh to 7th and 8th graders, and it sparked some wonderful debates about how we view, write, interpret, analyze, and enjoy literature. At the end of our Gilgamesh unit, I asked if any of them would consider going into ancient scholarship, and two said yes!
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I was encouraged by the many positive reviews of this book, but I have to confess that I am now completely mystified.This is a tedious, bloviated, self absorbed "reflection" that consists mainly of stoner grade postmodern platitudes and bromides. And when the author runs out of steam which is every other page he asks some poet to offer their own tedious, bloviated, self absorbed "reflection." It's truly unbearable.There's a bit of history, a bit of literary criticism, a bit of Assyriology, but it can never quite get at the promised "life of the poem," because the author cannot overcome his own narcissism long enough to get past admiring his own insipid musings.Certainly, go read Gilgamesh. It is magnificent. But you can safely skip this dreary companion volume.
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This is an unpretentious, nicely written book about the Epic of Gilgamesh and its life in modern times. I enjoyed reading it. For heaven's sake, if you like Gilgamesh how can you not read this book?!
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This book is an absolute gem, especially if you have read and know the Gilgamesh story. The author provides fascinating insights into the different translations of the epic poem, and a neat history of how the Gilgamesh story, which was originally written on clay tablets 4000 years ago, was reconstructed. Well written and an easy read, but I learned a lot from it.
