This Literature Unit Is:

Gilgamesh the Hero
by
Geraldine McCaughrean

Introduction

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who read this story often, wrote, "Gilgamesh is an immensity." The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest and most powerful stories that has survived until our day. It is much older than Homer's masterpieces, The Odyssey and The Iliad, dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C. It is the story of a king, part man/part god, who searches for immortality. Along the way he finds friendship and eventually comes to a new understanding of himself and his place in the world.

Gilgamesh the Hero is an excellent retelling of the story for younger readers by Geraldine McCaughrean, author of many other award-winning children's books.

Edition I Use: Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean
ISBN: 0-8028-5262-9 / $18.00 hardback / $12.24 at Amazon.com
Buy this edition at Amazon.com

Unit Sections: