Easily the coolest thing ever written on a clay tablet! I bought this old translation at a book fair, and found the exact same translation on the internet. It's about Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and at the beginning he was this crazy bastard. Then the gods create a man / beast to defeat him for his bastardly ways. Anyway you gotta read it, it's got love, hate, sex, violence, acid trips through hell and conversations with Noah. What more could a poor boy want? I have a copy I can email you. Just drop me a line. Warner

God! I love the epic of Gilgamesh. I named my cockatiel Ishtar before I realized he was a guy. Did you get the lyric version or a book version? I had a great lyric version that just left the missing chunks out, so about half the wasn't there. It was strange.

I read Gilgamesh in college for a class on myth and ritual. The professor was great when he was on, but a lot of days, he gave half-hearted lectures and let us out early. On the day we read Gilgamesh, he gave the greatest lecture I ever saw out of him. He really got down to the nitty gritty, I wish he could remember what his exact words were, but it was a passionate speech about the love that Gilgamesh held for Enkidu, which compelled him to go to the underworld to bring Enkidu back. If you like Gilgamesh, seek out the story of Innana as well. There's a great translation of it that we read for the same class. The language is beautiful. There's a section where Innana, who is a goddess, goes to the underworld to recover her human lover, much as Gilgamesh did with Enkidu. There is also a section describing the courtship of Innana and Dumuzi, with wonderful imagery. I'll have to find my copy, and post some.

Told ya.

It's nice to see a few other people who enjoy forgotten literature. Most people I know think I'm a freak because I dispise Clancey and King. If you like epic stories / poems you also might want to try Beowulf. I read it in high school, and stole a copy because I liked it so much. Then I lent the copy to someone and now I can't find it.

I read this masterpiece by some Seuss guy... 'Green Eggs" or something. That motherfucker can turn a goddamned phrase!