Poet Laureate Simon Armitage presents his verse translation of the ancient Mesopotamian epic Gilgamesh as part of the Manchester Literature Festival.
Simon Armitage brings his new verse translation of Gilgamesh to Manchester Central Library on Sunday 18 October. It's one of the oldest surviving works of literature, originating in ancient Mesopotamia nearly 4,000 years ago, and Armitage has spent the last few years bringing it into modern English. He'll be reading it on stage as part of the Manchester Literature Festival.
If you're not familiar with the story, it's an epic about the king of Uruk and his friendship with the wild man Enkidu, and it touches on things that still land today: grief, the fear of death, and the search for something that lasts. Armitage has a long history with this kind of work. He's a West Yorkshire poet and Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds, and he's translated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and The Owl and the Nightingale. He's also published more than twenty poetry collections of his own, and he's worked as a broadcaster and musician alongside the writing.
He's held the role of Poet Laureate since 2019 and is due to stay in it until 2029, so this is one of the projects he's taking on during his tenure. The reading is part of the Manchester Literature Festival, which brings more than 120 authors, poets and thinkers to the city this October, and the show is supported by Library Live.
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It starts at 4:30 PM at the library on St Peter's Square, M2 5PD. Tickets are £14, or £12 for concessions.
