Gilgamesh Among Us: Modern Encounters with the Ancient Epic by Theodore Ziolkowski (review)

The epic of Gilgamesh, the most famous work of literature from ancient Mesopotamia and one of the oldest literary compositions in the world, continues to fascinate specialists and nonspecialists alike. Its modern history, beginning with its rediscovery in the late nineteenth century and including its reception in Western societies until today, is the topic of Ziolkowski’s latest study. Although Ziolkowski is not a specialist in ancient Mesopotamia or Assyriology, his knowledge of (predominantly, but not exclusively) English and German literature serves him well in describing how artists, including, for example, poets (Rainer Maria Rilke), painters (Willi Baumeister), and musicians (Bohuslav Martinu), have been inspired by this most ancient literature. Even the psychologists Freud and Jung debated this ancient epic (29–30). Ziolkowski’s collection of arts inspired by Gilgamesh is impressive. (One could add a reference to Robert Wilson and David Byrne’s play The Forest, which premiered at the Freie Volksbühne in Berlin in 1988.)

Ziolkowski rightly points to key reasons for the continued interest in Gilgamesh. The Flood story as told in the epic offers an antecedent for the biblical story of the Flood. In addition, key themes in the Gilgamesh stories that revolve around questions of death and immortality offer a fascinating insight into human thought from two thousand to four thousand years ago—Gilgamesh is attested over a time-span of ca. 1750–100 BC—and continue to make the epic relevant today. In Gilgamesh’s reception during the twentieth century, Ziolkowski distinguishes between psychological, feminist, gay, and ecological approaches to the ancient epic, while its twenty-first century reception is placed within the context of the West’s relationship to the Near East. In some cases these assessments seem rather simplifying (as, for example, in his discussions of Said’s Orientalism and Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations). In particular, Ziolkowski may be overstating the influence the September 11 attacks and the ongoing conflicts resulting from this attack may have had on how Gilgamesh is received in contemporary Western societies (167–69). It is questionable whether the ancient Near East and Assyriology can be placed within the same context as contemporary discussions surrounding the Islamic Near East. After all, even within contemporary Near Eastern societies there are different perceptions of pre-Islamic history, and the way some dictators, for example Saddam Hussein, have used pre-Islamic heritage to further their own political agenda has made situating ancient Near Eastern culture and history more complex.

Ziolkowski frequently points out how new and improved translations of the epic contribute to its reception. Andrew George—whose edition of Gilgamesh will set the standard for decades to come—raised the question of accuracy in translations in a review of Ziolkowski’s study.¹ While he is right to point out that many Assyriologists look unfavorably upon translations that forsake grammatical accuracy for poetic aesthetics, it also speaks to a general and ongoing problem of translations by Assyriologists that may be accurate while making little sense, often turning poetry into dry and unimaginative language. Scholarly editions of ancient Near Eastern poetry are important, but it is time for Assyriologists, perhaps through collaboration with poets (as suggested by George), to make one of the world’s oldest literatures available in literary forms that are accessible and intelligible for more than just a small circle of scholars. It is one of the great strengths of Ziolkowski’s study that he has shown all the imaginative and creative ways in which artists have used Gilgamesh to entertain and speak to modern audiences.

The very few inaccuracies (for example, Gilgamesh’s historical existence has never been proven, contra Ziolkowski’s suggestions on 6 and 154) do not detract from the overall value of this book for Assyriologists, scholars of other disciplines, and other people who might share an interest in this early literary heritage and its modern reception. In fact, this book should be required...