Book Group with Mark Scarbrough

Gilgamesh, translated by Sophus Helle (2024)
Thursday, March 19, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. via Zoom

Mark writes: I think many people are familiar with but haven’t actually read this foundational epic. Of course, some of you have. No aspersions! But few have tried Helle’s transcendent translation. He’s another wunderkind, although much younger than Knausgaard: https://sophushelle.com/  Helle doesn’t attempt to make up for the gaps in the fragments, as many translations do. (Some literally add text without acknowledging what they’re doing.) Helle instead leaves the text in a partial state, the way in fact we could now read it. The volume also comes with lots of “other” material. I encourage you to read the opening essay about his translation practice before you set into the poem. And if you’d like, he has some keenly reasoned essays at the end, which you can dip into at will. You needn’t. In fact, it might be nice to find our own voices in this ancient poem, rather than relying on his (or those of others you may know). 

If you are new to the Book Group and would like to participate in the online discussion, please email Mark at markwrites@bruceandmark.com, and he will email you a formal invitation link to the online discussion group.