Gilgamesh

A New English Version

By: Stephen Mitchell - translator

Narrated by: George Guidall

This brilliant new treatment of the world's oldest epic is a literary event on par with Seamus Heaney's wildly popular Beowulf translation. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium.

In the ancient city of Uruk, the tyrannical King Gilgamesh tramples citizens "like a wild bull". The gods send an untamed man named Enkidu to control the ruthless king, but after fighting, Enkidu and Gilgamesh become great friends and embark on a series of adventures. They kill fearsome creatures before Enkidu succumbs to disease, leaving Gilgamesh despondent and alone. Eventually, Gilgamesh moves forward, and his quest becomes a soul-searching journey of self-discovery.

Mitchell's treatment of this extraordinary work is the finest yet, surpassing previous versions in its preservation of the wisdom and beauty of the original.

©2004 Stephen Mitchell (P)2004 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"Stephen Mitchell's Gilgamesh is a wonderful version....This is certainly the best that I have seen in English." (Harold Bloom)
"Here is a flowing, unbroken version that reads as effortlessly as a novel....Vibrant, earnest, unfussibly accesible....The muscular eloquence and rousing simplicity of Mitchell's four-beat line effectively unleashes the grand vehemence of the epic's battle scenes." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Mitchell seeks language that is as swift and strong as the story itself. He conveys the evenhanded generosity of the original poet....This wonderful new version of the story of Gilgamesh shows how the story came to achieve literary immortality: not because it is a rare ancient artifact, but because reading it can make people in the here and now feel more completely alive." (Publishers Weekly)

Impressive, Odd and Inspiring

Having only read portions of this work in College I was impressed the power of the narrative in this version. I was running while listening and found parts strangely inspirational. However, sexual content came as a total surprize. While the influence of this work may be limited in our literature it certainly reveals the universal themes that cause humanking to create art. All this in a short 3 hour program, time well spent. The bonus lecture is very helpful. After listening I felt prepared to lecture on the epic myslef.

A fantastic tale

Truly timeless brought to life. Mitchell has made this ancient story flow seamlessly and Guidall performs it perfectly, a true story teller.

Historic

How it predates and supports future works - including the Bible. The prose alone made it worth the reading

Perfection itself

Mitchell's translation makes this story so accessible, and Guidall was the ideal choice of narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this classic - far more than I did the first time in World Lit.

So good

This story reveals deep knowledge and is eye opening, (third eye if you understand it). Not for the uninitiated.

Essential Reading

Growing up I read Beowulf but was not exposed to such a seminal text as Gilgamesh. This is the kind of learning experience that is primarily due to iPads and Audible Books. Thank you.

Great version

the narration was excellent and engaging and I really appreciated the essay at the end explaining the story its Origins and background and interpretation in more depth.

Great story

I have long forgotten this story. It was great to listen to it. However, the authors voice was not good for listening and driving. The story had my attention but the narrators voice did not seem to change throughout the story and I would occasionally have to replay a part.

An excellent classic with so much meaning to it!

I can't believe I have missed out on this epic classic! I have heard of Gilgamesh of course, always run across the book at the bookstores, but never actually read it. Then I got into a discussion with a guy who was currently reading it at the time and I finally said I'll read it as well, and I was sucked into it right away.

This version of Gilgamesh was translated by Stephen Mitchell and narrated by George Guidall, and both gentlemen did a fantastic job with this book. Gilgamesh is a Sumerian Epic Tale that predates the bible by a 1,000 years. It's a tale that follows Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and the wildman Enkidu, who was created by the Goddess Aruru, after the citizens of Uruk cry out to the Gods for the way Gilgamesh was treating them. Enkidu lives in the wild, is spotted by a shepherd, and Gilgamesh finds out about this wildman who looks like him. The two meet, battle each other, and in the end become close friends and brother's to each other. This story then continues as the two go on adventures which lead to some rewards, but also leads them to some punishments as well by the Gods.

This tale is a tale of friendship, love, self discovery, humanity's fear and struggle with death and mortality, and learning that sometimes that which we seek to escape to search for better is sometimes the thing that brings us blessings as well. This whole tale was a great read, but what I really found interesting was when Gilgamesh sails across the Great Waters and the Waters of Death and he finds Utnapishtim who tells Gilgamesh about how he became immortal after surviving the great flood, and of course this is the great flood mentioned in the bible a thousand years later. The story was just a tad different in some spots, but still it was the same story as Noah. This was a fantastic tale filled with beautiful prose and wisdom.

Beautiful.

What a deeply meaningful story, and absolutely beautiful in every way. Guidall is superb in his narration.