Into the Forest discussion

Hello! I'm interested in reading more classic epics and thought it would be fun to start a thread for people to share on the topic (mea culpa if there is already a thread for this or a better folder - please let me know!)

I'm planning to read the Epic of Gilgamesh with a friend in the new year - can anyone recommend for a version? The biggest hurdle I have with starting any "classic" epic is choosing a translation. Since I'm reading for pleasure, not academics, the version can make a big difference.

Other epics on my list are:
- Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings
- Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions)
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- Rāmāyana
- The Iliad + The Aeneid
- The Fenian Cycle / Ossianic Cycle
- The Ring of the Nibelung
- ???

Marisa wrote: "Hello! I'm interested in reading more classic epics and thought it would be fun to start a thread for people to share on the topic (mea culpa if there is already a thread for this or a better folde..."

Marisa, I love mythology, and I love writing novels in which I re-tell some of the ancient myths. It just so happens that Gilgamesh is one of my favorite epics. I love it so much, I re-told the myth in my novel, Gilgamesh of Uruk.

I've read several different translations of the epic, including Gilgamesh: A New English Version. Without a doubt, the translation I recommend most highly is Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle. Helle's analysis, commentary, and translation is extensively researched, thoroughly inspiring and brilliant.

A link to my review if you want to know more about the translation: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also, I am a moderator in the Classics and Western Canon group on Goodreads. We did a re-read of the Aeneid about a year ago. We usually begin the discussion of each classic by opening a thread on the various translations. I've add the link below which lists the various translations so you can browse through it. I hope this helps.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Happy reading.

Marisa, forgot to add the link to the Classics and Western Canon discussion of translations of Beowulf. The thread lists and comments on the different translations. I was the moderator for the discussion of the epic.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I am planning on reading the Book of Dede Korcut which is an Azerbaijani epic, was on my list for the 2022 round the world challenge but a bit behind.

Tamara, I have just bought your trilogy of re-tellings including Gilgamesh so looking forward to that! Its also great to have a tip for a good translation of Gilgamesh, as the version I have is unreadable, in the reading for pleasure sense.

Rose, thanks for purchasing my trilogy. I hope you enjoy it.

And thanks, also, for mentioning the The Book of Dede Korkut. I'd not heard of it before. It looks interesting. I've put it on my to-read list.

@Tamara, thank you for the recommendations! Gilgamesh and the Aeneid before April is ambitious for me but I'd love to follow along.

@Rose, this is my first time hearing about the the Book of Dede Korkut, it sounds fascinating!

Chiming in here- I loved Tamara’s Gilgamesh of Uruk! I highly recommend it.

Annette wrote: "Chiming in here- I loved Tamara’s Gilgamesh of Uruk! I highly recommend it."

Thank you, Annette. I'm delighted you enjoyed it.

I remember reading something from Beowulf back in high school, in the late 1970s. I remember being moved by the poet rhythms of it, somewhere along the bit where we learn about Grendel's mother.

I've looked in a few different translations for a passage that resonates (both with my memory and within itself ;) but have not found any. Does this ring a bell with any of you? Do any of you find one translation 'sounds' better, especially in that section?

Cheryl wrote: "I remember reading something from Beowulf back in high school, in the late 1970s. I remember being moved by the poet rhythms of it, somewhere along the bit where we learn about Grendel's mother. ..."

Cheryl, click on the link of my post #3 above. It will take you to the different translations.

If you're looking for something with a different and decidedly feminist twist on Beowulf, I highly recommend Beowulf translated by Maria Dahvana Headley. Her opening salvo is the word “Bro!” setting the stage for an irreverent, rollicking, electrifying, and astonishing translation unlike any we have seen before.

This is from my review of Headley's translation:

One of the more interesting aspects of Headley’s translation lies in her treatment of Grendel’s mother. She allows her the simultaneous qualities of a monster while retaining her human qualities as a mother experiencing overwhelming grief at the loss of her only child.

Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I hope this helps.

I've been reading and studying mythology for 20 years now and the past 10 was spent writing about it. Now I have 4 books that are definitive.
As far as specific translations go, I do thorough research so I can use the best there is. Feel free to browse my library to see which translations I've used.
I can't recommend anything better except for my own works.

The Headley translation of Beowulf looks interesting, thanks for the recommendation! If anyone wants a YA version (that's also good for adults) my favourite is Beowulf: Dragonslayer by Rosemary Sutcliff, which persuaded me at school that epics might be worth reading. Apparently her The Hound of Ulster is also an good retelling of the Tain.

Yeah, I've already hunted through a few different translations and not found the one that has a passage in the right section with the right tone. I was hoping someone would say "oh, yeah, in X there's this bit that kinda 'sounds' like Y..." or something.

I noticed this discussion last month and was reminded of it whilst reading Epic Continent -Adventures in the Great Stories of Europe by Nicholas Jubber - he goes on a journey to discover how epic poems of Europe have influenced Europe in all aspects of life through history and still today - I haven't finished it yet but he covers - Odyssey - Roland - Kosovo cycle - Nibelungenlied - Beowulf and Najal's Saga I am reading it for my travel the world challenge - but some of you may be interested in this non fiction book - these poems are very much alive in the various countries from Turkey to Iceland

I have come to the conclusion that if you can’t read the work in the original language, you are reading a re-telling. (I can only read English.) if you want to really know the story, read as many translations as you can including those adapted for children. Enjoy the differences.

Have finished Epic Continent this morning and as an addition to above post - the descriptions of the different locations of these poems are so well written and detailed - gives a different perspective on the history of the works - its not a sparse book - I know descriptive writing isn't always appreciated these days but this does add to the epics concerned - I shall be going back to my bookshelves and reading my childhood books to reread with a old lady's new perspective on Europe through these epics:)

Annette wrote: "I have come to the conclusion that if you can’t read the work in the original language, you are reading a re-telling. (I can only read English.) if you want to really know the story, read as many t..."

Ah! I don't consider translations retellings! It's like saying that any book translated is actually a retelling, which I think is not completely true.
I think there are layers, and some things can sit between translation and retelling, but a retelling is something where the author takes liberties with the source material to include different perspectives / themes etch. A translation needs to stay close to the source material almost word for word, and cannot include things that are not already there. I have a lot of respect for translators, having spent half my life experiencing books translated in Italian - I have experienced good and bad translations, but none of them were "retelling"! ;)

I didn’t mean re-tellings as in versions with added elements. I think of things that do not translate. I think of all of the synonyms available. It can’t be the original once translated. (Personal opinion.)

I see what you're saying Annette . . . maybe adapted would be a better word than retelling? But I'm with Andy on translations not being retellings.