Gilgamesh Among Us: Modern Encounters with the Ancient Epic

(Cornell University Press) The Epic of Gilgamesh, the tale of the semi-mythical Sumerian king of Uruk and his futile quest for immortality, is the world’s oldest work of literature. In Gilgamesh Among Us, Ziolkowski explores how this poem and its hero have influenced modern writers and artists. Gilgamesh and its continuing legacy are both an illustration of the shifts in Western history and culture and a testament to the values of the ancient epic. Theodore Ziolkowski is Class of 1900 Professor of German and Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton University.