lift the lapis lazuli tablet and read



of Gilgamesh - his



adventures and all he endured.



King above kings, most formidable presence.



Gilgamesh originated in Ancient Mesopotamia nearly 4,000 years ago, yet its themes of power, loyalty, love and loss resound with contemporary relevance. The eponymous demigod tyrannically rules the kingdom of Uruk. To establish peace, the gods create his counterpart, the wild man Enkidu, and the two embark on a series of extraordinary adventures. But after tragedy strikes, Gilgamesh sets out alone on a desperate quest for immortality leading him to the very edge of the world . . .





Simon Armitage's fresh and propulsive version brings Gilgamesh alive as a poem. He harnesses the rhythm of its orchestrated language and conjures a sense of poetic wholeness while honouring its inherent fragmentation. Enhanced by illuminating commentary, this accomplished translation transports us right back to the origins of civilisation and storytelling.



Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire and is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. His acclaimed translations include the bestselling Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2007); Pearl (2016), winner of the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation; and The Owl and the Nightingale (2021). From 2015 to 2019, he served as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, and, in 2018, he was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. Simon Armitage is Poet Laureate.