Gilgamesh

“A vibrant and vigorous reimagining of the world’s first book, which should take its place alongside Heaney’s Beowulf and Hughes’s Ovid on the shelf of revivified classics.” —The New Statesman


“A brilliant version of an ancient tale; replete with humour, pathos, drama, and much more." –The Telegraph



"Derrek Hines makes Gilgamesh exciting." –The Guardian

"Hines’s distinctive mode–part surreal, part cinematic–combines the concentration of lyric poetry with the narrative compulsion and fluency of an adventure story." –Times Literary Supplement

"Hines’s energetic metaphors and nimble wit revivify the thrill of a very old tale."

–Times (London)


“An evocative lyric journey through the Mesopotamian story, glittering with Hines’ own fresh images.” —The Financial Times

“A sparkling poetic vision.” —The Oxford Times

“Impressive, consistent . . . packed with good things.” —Christopher Logue

“I read this version with great interest and admiration. It has real energy and drive with some splendidly interesting images. I was held throughout.” —Ian Hamilton

“A superb achievement. The cinematic swoops, that terrific, loss-haunted elegy, absolutely packed with reverberating phrases. . . . It is not only a rendering of the poem but a brilliant, vital contemporary commentary on it.” —Paul Newman, editor, Abraxis