Gilgamesh summary
Picture source
He has seen everything, had experienced all emotions, from exaltation to despair, had been granted a vision into the great mystery, the secret places, the primeval days before the Flood. He had journeyed to the edge of the world and made his way back, exhausted but whole. He had carved his trials on stone tablets, had restored the holy Eanna Temple and the massive wall of Uruk, which no city on earth can equal.
— beginning of the Prologue in Gilgamesh: A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell
The 4,000+ year old story of a legendary king is still being printed, translated, and studied today. It took a while to grow on me but I eventually succumbed to its lyricism and insights. The quest for understanding fate, death, and human nature speaks to us today just as it did to people all those centuries ago. Here are my posts on the tale:
Gilgamesh discussion: Gilgamesh by Joan London
Update (15 Jan 2012): I’m not sure how long this link will work, but Contra Mundum Press has a new translation by Stuart Kendall
Next up-The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne.