Gilgamesh the King

Gilgamesh The King is a thoroughly engrossing retelling of the famous Sumerian myth from the perspective of the figure himself. It creates a plausible blend of superstition, ancient knowledge and characterization as underpinnings of the legend.In the same way that Mary Stewart's historical tales carry the reader to ancient times through the eyes and thoughts of the main character, Gilgamesh The King brings a profound humanity to such fabled material.

An entertaining spin on the myth of Gilgamesh, by one of our foremost living authors. I have read the original (or a translation, anyway) and it is remarkable how he manages to be so faithful to the tone of the book and yet to shore up an often-fragmentary narrative. Definitely, a must-read.

This book may be a peculiar exception to what people expect from this author. The book seems to be somewhat maligned in reviews, and by library staff as well - i think that is extremely undeserved.Silverburg tells the story of the archetypical royal hero Gilgamesh in this book. The story here is stark and sophisticatedly simple versus well developed and textured, maybe analogous to the simple early Middle Eastern figurines, staring hauntingly down through the ages with their exaggeratedly large eyes, versus some busy Bosch painting. Paintings and such aside, Silverburg's telling of the story has Gilgamesh swashbuckling his masculine way through the times of early Middle Eastern city-states. While the times may have actually been brutal, Silverburg's version makes it seem better characterized as 'passionate', royalty and dominion being established by hubris and warring, and sexuality being an integral part of the society.In the original story, from the beginnings of history, a rivalry goes unresolved in a contest; Gilgamesh meets his match, and becomes an admirer of the mysterious Enki-du, his proven equal. Silverburg's Gilgamesh has a big heart. Gilgamesh's hearty confidence and gusto, through which the reader sees the events in the story, tempers the impression of the actual time and place. In fact, the warmth and uplifting emotional buoyancy of this character puts a winning and human face on masculinity.In a culture that has turned to hatefully undermining heterosexual masculinity and destroying fraternity wherever it is found, this book is a hopeful illustration, not only of a distant past, but maintenance of a spirit for the future. Definitely, it is the opposite of one of our contemporary 'chick books'.This book does not deserve maligning reviews, nor does the author deserve the belittling review. It is a 'must read' for a thinking man, and will only disappoint those who are narrow-minded.