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Gilgamesh: A New Verse Translation
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26A propulsive and lyrical version of ancient Mesopotamia’s greatest adventure–tale, by the bestselling translator of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Originating nearly four thousand years ago, Gilgamesh tells the story of a tyrannical king and his wild counterpart, Enkidu, whom the gods spawn to rein in the king’s cruel tendencies. Their unlikely friendship leads to adventure, tragedy, and a quest for immortality. This archetypal tale is one of the most compelling and memorable in all of world literature.
It’s a testament to the story’s inherent power that Gilgamesh continues to enthrall readers despite a long line of English translations that have privileged punctiliousness over narrative energy and readability. Now, in the hands of Simon Armitage, poet laureate of the United Kingdom, this profound ancient epic swells and flows in contemporary English with a vitality and immediacy that only a truly poetic rendering can achieve. Grounded in the latest scholarship, (Jacob L. Dahl of Oxford University, an expert in Assyriology, advised Armitage throughout), this version brings the ancient text to new life, offering readers a thrilling portal into the very dawn of storytelling.
Originating nearly four thousand years ago, Gilgamesh tells the story of a tyrannical king and his wild counterpart, Enkidu, whom the gods spawn to rein in the king’s cruel tendencies. Their unlikely friendship leads to adventure, tragedy, and a quest for immortality. This archetypal tale is one of the most compelling and memorable in all of world literature.
It’s a testament to the story’s inherent power that Gilgamesh continues to enthrall readers despite a long line of English translations that have privileged punctiliousness over narrative energy and readability. Now, in the hands of Simon Armitage, poet laureate of the United Kingdom, this profound ancient epic swells and flows in contemporary English with a vitality and immediacy that only a truly poetic rendering can achieve. Grounded in the latest scholarship, (Jacob L. Dahl of Oxford University, an expert in Assyriology, advised Armitage throughout), this version brings the ancient text to new life, offering readers a thrilling portal into the very dawn of storytelling.
240 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 14, 2026
8 people want to read
About the author
Simon Armitage
143 books369 followersSimon Armitage, whose The Shout was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, has published ten volumes of poetry and has received numerous honors for his work. He was appointed UK Poet Laureate in 2019
Armitage's poetry collections include Book of Matches (1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He has produced a dramatised version of Homer's Odyssey and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. These include "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
Armitage's poetry collections include Book of Matches (1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He has produced a dramatised version of Homer's Odyssey and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. These include "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Why is it that a belief system from 4,000 years ago and the stories of Indigenous tribes contain more wonder than the Christianity that sought to erase them? Could it be an omen that designating one all-powerful male as God is a smoke and mirrors for dominance? Is the desire for immortality a repudiation of nature?
I'm glad to have read this translation after paying so much attention to the Iliad, as well as reflections on Siddartha. These stories all have something to teach us.
With regards to Joseph Campbell and Herman Hesse.
I'm glad to have read this translation after paying so much attention to the Iliad, as well as reflections on Siddartha. These stories all have something to teach us.
With regards to Joseph Campbell and Herman Hesse.
Review of advance copy
the gilgamesh and enkidu bromance will never not be funny to me
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews