The epic of Gilgamesh is a timeless classic that continues to appeal to readers through its universal themes. The great king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, part human, part divine, finds himself face to face with a challenge: the wild man, Enkidu. The two heroes quickly move beyond quarrelling and become best friends. Together, they battle dangerous creatures and win glory for themselves; friendship, it seems, can conquer all. But the very foundations of Gilgamesh's being are shaken when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh sets off on a journey to discover wisdom and immortality, and ultimately gains the courage to accept death.

anyone who wants to explore ancient literature, people who are looking for an off-beat gift idea, and reluctant teen readers (see my comments below).

the extensive introductory material. The introduction runs to almost sixty pages, and may bore some readers, but it is broken down into convenient sections so you can just read about the topics you find interesting.

we live in a death-phobic society and we need to deal with that. A life in which the primary fear is death is such an empty life. Many people view the Gilgamesh story as pessimistic, and, in a way, it is. This is reflection of the extreme uncertainty of life in Mesopotamia. However, this story is also very life-affirming. It is a timeless testament to the value of friendship and contrasts sharply with today's tendency toward throwaway relationships.

I spent a semester teaching the Gilgamesh story to a group of grade seven students learning English as a foreign langauge in South Korea. They were crazy about it! Even the boy who was a total goof-off paid attention when it was Gilgamesh time. The students talked about it outside of class and they waited eagerly for their Friday night class on Gilgamesh. If you have a reluctant reader, especially a boy, this book might be just right for them. It has all the heroism that our politically correct "experts" have leached out of children's literature in the public school system.

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Created Apr 04, 2006 at 2:27pm • Submit your own review...