Gilgamesh: A Verse Play (Wesleyan Poetry) - Softcover

Gracia, Chad; Komunyakaa, Yusef

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0819568252 ISBN 13: 9780819568250

Publisher: Wesleyan University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Rare Book

About this title

Review:

"In spare, stark language, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Komunyakaa and dramatist Gracia create a 21st-century version of the ancient Middle Eastern tale Gilgamesh... (T)hese two writers have brought vigorous life to this ancient tale. Recommended for most collections."--Library Journal

"Gritty, laconic, well-known poet Komunyakaa (who won a Pulitzer for 1993's Neon Vernacular) teams up with playwright and dramaturge Gracia for a compelling, short, stage-ready adaptation of the Sumerian epic that may be the oldest story in the world... Komunyakaa's short lines and taciturn bearing fit the gravity of the warriors' tragedy, and he strikes the right balance between contemporary directness and antique grace. Gilgamesh, once embarked on his quest for the flower, demands of one among its many guardians: 'Open the gate/ so I may confront the father of Grief.' If Komunyakaa's Sumerians lack the verbal polish and the philosophical ambition of, say, fellow poet Seamus Heaney's Greeks (found in his translation of Sophocles), this is a dramatic work of sinewy vitality, with a real hero who moves and breathes on the stage."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA is a professor in the creative writing department at New York University. CHAD GRACIA is a theater producer and consultant. He has edited six verse plays and writes extensively on theater.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0819568252
• ISBN 13: 9780819568250
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112