Have you ever read Gilgamesh?
I always wanted to, and finally listened to a translation on Audible. It was amazing, and like nothing I expected. Anyone who studies writing learns about Gilgamesh. However, hearing the story itself was so much more.
I highly recommend the version I heard. The narrator was excellent. You can get it from Audible. The story itself is only about two hours long. The other two hours are an essay by the translator, Stephen Mitchell. I appreciate that they put the essay after the story, and I loved how he went into the decisions that translators have to make.
One of the things I liked best about the story was its repetitive style. At one point, Gilgamesh has four or five dreams. The verse leading up to each dream is identical, and by the third dream, I could repeat it myself. This helped me understand how oral stories were passed from person to person, and I felt part of the history of Gilgamesh.
One warning, there is a lot of sex talk in the book, and they don’t hold anything back. It might not be appropriate for kids. There may be other translations that toned that part down. It’s mostly at the beginning of the story and is important to the plot. I can understand why this translator didn’t mince words.