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Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
25 posts | 34 read | 8 to read
Vivid, enjoyable and comprehensible, the poet and pre-eminent translator Stephen Mitchell makes the oldest epic poem in the world accessible for the first time. Gilgamesh is a born leader, but in an attempt to control his growing arrogance, the Gods create Enkidu, a wild man, his equal in strength and courage. Enkidu is trapped by a temple prostitute, civilised through sexual experience and brought to Gilgamesh. They become best friends and battle evil together. After Enkidu's death the distraught Gilgamesh sets out on a journey to find Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Great Flood, made immortal by the Gods to ask him the secret of life and death. Gilgamesh is the first and remains one of the most important works of world literature. Written in ancient Mesopotamia in the second millennium B.C., it predates the Iliad by roughly 1,000 years. Gilgamesh is extraordinarily modern in its emotional power but also provides an insight into the values of an ancient culture and civilisation.
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E.Bolhafner
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Norton, Penguin, or Oxford next for translation? I feel like neither version I own is a translation 😑 but no local bookstore has anything else to pick up and get a feel for language. Boo

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E.Bolhafner
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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You will take him in your arms, embrace and caress him the way a man caresses his wife. He will be your double, your second self, a man who is loyal, who will stand at your side through the greatest of dangers. Soon you will meet him, the companion of your heart.

SamAnne Oh, loved this. 11mo
5 likes1 comment
review
E.Bolhafner
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
Pickpick

Have read before. Am trying to intersperse my smut readings with general fiction and classics. A good introduction to story as it‘s — a retelling? I have Ferry‘s version to read next. Ignore the page count. It‘s a short book once you ignore introductory pages and endnotes. I didn‘t bother to read those as I‘m neither a scholar nor is this a a translation.

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xicanti
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Library haul! GILGAMESH will be my next project book; I‘ve been meaning to read it for maybe 20 years. I‘m ecstatic the next volume of ŌOKU finally made it to me, too. Just picture me doing the happy dance.

Tamra Gilgamesh is amazing in that the themes are timeless. 3y
xicanti @Tamra it‘s a lot shorter than I expected, and way more readable. This “project” probably won‘t take me long enough to deserve the name. 3y
34 likes2 comments
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TheBookKeepers
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Pickpick

Finished this today! Enjoying a little staycation with the family so I will mail it out once we get home! Thanks for a fun round of poetry #lmpbc ❤️❤️ loved reading with you all these past few months! @HoneyBeeLee @slategreyskies @thebluestocking

JamieArc Wherever you are looks heavenly! (I‘m craving being around water so badly right now!) 4y
EvaPriest Oh! I wish I were there, too! Have you read the Unseen Realm? Gilgamesh was a nephilim right? 4y
slategreyskies I loved reading with you too!! This really was an awesome round! So glad I got to be part of it! Also, I love this pic of you!! It makes me smile. :) 4y
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TheBookKeepers Ahhh thank you !!! @slategreyskies 4y
TheBookKeepers @EvaPriest yes he was! No I haven‘t read that one 4y
TheBookKeepers @JamieArc South Orlando! I miss the pool already! 4y
81 likes1 stack add6 comments
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slategreyskies
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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This was sent on its way this morning! Hope you all had a good month! I‘m looking forward to the next book for our group!! #LMPBC #bookmailishappymail #poetry

Sorry about the Santa stamps! I finally had to use them up! 😂

TheBookKeepers Hahaha I totally used Santa stamps all year last year too 🤣 4y
TheBookKeepers Received!! 4y
25 likes2 comments
review
thebluestocking
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Pickpick

I love love loved this ancient epic poem. I had not heard of it until it was selected as an #lmpbc book. It follows Gilgamesh on an epic adventure. This version is readable and relatable. I highly recommend it.

quietlycuriouskate I have this translation, too. It's good, isn't it? 4y
mydearwatson I had to read it in college. It‘s interesting! 4y
49 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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thebluestocking
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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My quarantine brain doesn‘t really want to read. But April was a decent reading month nonetheless. Gilgamesh was my favorite, Children my least favorite.

#aprilwrapup #monthlywrapup #aprilreads

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thebluestocking
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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slategreyskies Awesome!! I‘m excited now! #bookmail rocks! :) 4y
thebluestocking @slategreyskies something to look forward to! 💙 4y
slategreyskies I‘ve gotten it! I can‘t remember if it arrived yesterday or the day before, but it‘s here. I completely forgot to post here to let you know until now. Hope you have a great weekend! :) 4y
thebluestocking @slategreyskies Thanks for letting me know! I‘m glad it arrived. Enjoy! 💙 4y
44 likes4 comments
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thebluestocking
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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I‘m really enjoying this reading experience. This book is a gem and surprisingly relevant for something dating back to 2100 BC. #lmpbc

slategreyskies I‘m looking forward to reading this next month! :) 4y
50 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HoneyBeeLee
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell

Just checking in with my #LMPBC group @TheBookKeepers @thebluestocking and @slategreyskies I am almost done with my book but will be sending out by the end of the week. How are you all doing? Staying safe in these crazy times?

thebluestocking Hey!! I‘m doing okay. I‘ve been a little distracted, so I haven‘t finished my book yet, but I‘m hoping to this week. Hope you‘re doing well too. 💙 4y
HoneyBeeLee @thebluestocking that‘s understandable. My anxiety has been through the roof but slowly getting a handle on it. 😬 Glad you are doing okay though 💜 4y
TheBookKeepers I finished mine today! I‘m hoping to get it in the mailbox tomorrow! ❤️❤️ I‘m doing pretty steady. I work from home & homeschool my kiddos so thankfully we are minimally disrupted with the social distancing compared to so many others. Hope y‘all are doing okay!! 4y
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HoneyBeeLee @TheBookKeepers That's good. I know a lot of people are thrown for a loop having to work form home. 💜 4y
slategreyskies Our family is doing mostly okay. It‘s been an adjustment trying to figure out the process and tasks for the long distance learning for my boys, and my partner‘s been under a lot of pressure at work, but we‘re hanging in there. 4y
slategreyskies I‘m glad that you all have tagged me in comments on here, because I‘ve been so distracted with the chaos in my daily life lately that I hadn‘t remembered it was coming up on time to mail our books out. Since I forgot in time to make the post office today, mine will go out on Monday instead! :) 4y
HoneyBeeLee @slategreyskies no worries was hoping to send mine out this weekend but looks like I am going to have to send mine out Monday too. I‘m glad you and your family are doing okay. Especially with little ones I know that can be hard. But just take it one day at a time. 💜 4y
thebluestocking @TheBookKeepers @HoneyBeeLee @slategreyskies My book is headed out in the mail today!! I hope you‘re all hanging in there. 💙 4y
slategreyskies @thebluestocking @HoneyBeeLee @TheBookKeepers I don‘t know who to mail my book to. I‘m the last name on the list. Do I mail to the first person on the list? I‘ve got my book in bubble wrap and plan on mailing it today. Sorry for the delay! My family has been dealing with a mental health crisis (mine). 7-8 hours of crisis support from therapists and lifelines. I thought it would end in hospitalization, but I‘m still here. ❤️ (edited) 4y
slategreyskies Oh! Just saw the comment on the other post! Sorry about that, everyone!! I‘m mailing to @TheBookKeepers ! :) 4y
HoneyBeeLee @slategreyskies hello! I believe if your last on the list you will send it to the first person on the list. No worries I barley got mine mailed off yesterday. And I hope you are getting better *hug* Sending lots of good thoughts and vibes 💜💜💜💜 4y
TheBookKeepers No worries!! I hope things are turning around for you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ take your time on ur reading and mailing love! Is there anything I can do for you? 4y
16 likes13 comments
review
Verba Docent
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
Pickpick

An ancient epic not to be forgotten. Fun, in a way, to read as a story by itself. But perhaps more important as an ancient source of mythology and storytelling.

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OrangeMooseReads
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Mehso-so

An ancient poem that covers basically everything you would find in the Bible but predates it by a few thousand years. It wasn‘t bad. I didn‘t love this translation. I am all for clear and understandable but I also would like some “flowery” words in a poem. Another classic to check off my list.

alisiakae I really enjoyed the Folio Society edition of the Epic of Gilgamesh. 5y
35 likes1 comment
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Christinak
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Pickpick

My daughter is reading this in college (different translation) and this was on sale at audible so I decided to re-read this - I have not read this since college and I am glad I read this originally in class / this needs explanation and discussion. George Guidall‘s narration is awesome - the 2nd half of this audiobook is an essay by the author so I highly recommend reading/listening to this all the way through.

JazzFeathers I read the Gilgamesh saga on my own many years ago, and yes, l think discussion would have made it an even more awesome experience. But even as it was, l loved it. I was shocked how relatable this story was. 5y
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TimSpalding
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Listening to Gilgamesh again, after a long time. It‘s so good. With a background in Greek and Latin epic it feels at once familiar and bizarre. “Who is like Gilgamesh?” No one and everyone.

20 likes1 stack add
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Ethands
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
Pickpick

One of the oldest tales, a bromance. The egomaniac king and his best friend go to claim glory. In their pride they loose each other. The lessons learned here are things we are still learning. It seems very shallow at first. But behind a thin curtian, their friendship breaks modern day boundaries of male expectation. This book is worth it. But also very much like a action film, a bit macho for me at times but it makes it laughable. 7/10

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bookandcat
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Mehso-so

Wasn't my favorite thing I've ever read but this classic epic (1000 years pre-Iliad) is in a very pretty edition - I loved the swirls of design along the pages. It is a very quick read, and was surprising for me considering how old it is. #24in48 @24in48 #epic #classic

EllanaRose This has been on my TBR forever. Would you recommend it? 6y
bookandcat @EllanaRose I wouldn't disrecommend it but it wasn't a strong recommend from me. I also am glad I got it from the library because I don't plan to reread it. It was a very quick read. I'd say it's okay to give it a go because it is so short😂 6y
EllanaRose Understood XD thanks for the honesty! 6y
ravenlee @EllanaRose I read this years ago for a class and remember finding it interesting but not gripping. Almost like reading a series prequel that only has merit for some backstory or context, rather than as a story in its own right. 6y
EllanaRose @ravenlee - Thanks! I'm still tempted to read it, but I appreciate your comment. I can read it knowing it won't be perfect 6y
32 likes1 stack add5 comments
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quietlycuriouskate
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Pickpick

King Gilgamesh behaves like the Ancient World's most out-of-control teenager and solves his problems with his fists. His people complain so much to the gods that they resolve to civilise him, first through love and then through grief. Despite its great antiquity (3,500 years) this epic of the fear of death is fresh and at times moving. The translation is unobtrusive, while giving a clear sense of the oral tradition (eg. through repeated phrasing).

JazzFeathers When l read it yesrs ago, l was shocked to duscover how relatable this still is. Such a great story! 6y
48 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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quietlycuriouskate
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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"We must kill him and drive out evil from the world."
3,500 years later, how's that plan working out?

quietlycuriouskate I've just looked in the notes at the back and apparently the cedar forest is located in what is now Syria. 6y
Lcsmcat I remember teaching this to the 8th grade Gifted and Talented class about 17 years ago! 6y
40 likes2 comments
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quietlycuriouskate
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Maybe I stayed out in the sun a little too long, or maybe my mind is just blown contemplating the sheer improbability of my reading this story in my English garden this afternoon, three and a half thousand years after it was first pressed into wet clay in Mesopotamia. 😵

Cathythoughts Feeling a bit 😵myself today ... must be the sun 🌞 6y
starlight97 What a beautiful font and pattern! 😍 6y
Graywacke That makes me want to read it! Is it a good translation? (The page reads really nicely) 6y
JazzFeathers I read it years ago and l was shocked how deeply l could relate to it. Your edition looks gorgeous! 6y
51 likes4 comments
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Aleida
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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mariaku21 I love Oui yogurt! It was so creamy and delicious ❤ 6y
Aleida Right?! It‘s my new favorite. 6y
LauraBrook I just bought one and haven‘t had it yet. Happy to hear it‘s good! 6y
Aleida @LauraBrook the container was so cute. I must admit that it was the reason I tried it. 6y
LauraBrook @Aleida That‘s why I bought it too! Plus, if something is packaged in glass I‘m 100% going to buy it. 6y
16 likes5 comments
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e.c.vitoria
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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I love this cover. It's so unique.

#fallbooks #goldbooks #bookandfairylights

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TheNunnnery
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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First book in my journey with "The Well Educated Mind!" Diverged from the translations suggested by Susan Wise Bauer, but no regrets on my choice. I was surprised that the epic poem only took up a third of the book! #thewelleducatedmind #TWEM #atmidnightheawoke #gilgamesh #poetry

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Sweettartlaura
Gilgamesh | Stephen Mitchell
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Last year I decided to read more classics, & went wayyyyy back. I loved this one - what a great story! So different from what else I've read from the ancient myths.