| Gilgamesh the King | |
|---|---|
Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author(s) | Robert Silverberg |
| Illustrator | dt3456 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Arbor House |
| Publication date | 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp |
| ISBN | 0-877-95599-9 |
| OCLC Number | 10849752 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 19 |
| LC Classification | PS3569.I472 G5 1984 |
Gilgamesh the King is a 1984 fantasy novel by Robert Silverberg presenting the Epic of Gilgamesh as a novel.
The novel is told from the point of view of Gilgamesh, and is primarily ambivalent about the supernatural elements of the epic. Most of the events are portrayed in a fairly realistic manner, and the reader is left undecided as to whether certain events are coincidence, or divine intervention.
Silverberg afterwards wrote a number of stories for the fantasy anthology series Heroes in Hell describing Gilgamesh's posthumous adventures in the underworld, including the award-winning novella "Gilgamesh in the Outback."