Simon Armitage Gives Ancient Mesopotamian Epic New Life in Gilgamesh

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage brings a lively new vision to the adventures of the legendary Mesopotamian hero in his book Gilgamesh.

The work revisits an ancient epic, presenting its central figure and his adventures through a fresh poetic lens. Armitage’s approach places the energy of the story at the heart of this new treatment.

Described as a literary achievement of a high order, the book draws its distinction from the vitality it brings to the ancient material. Its appeal lies in the meeting of an enduring narrative and a contemporary poet’s voice.

With Gilgamesh, Armitage offers readers a renewed encounter with the literary world of ancient Mesopotamia, giving an old story a new form without leaving its legendary hero behind.