Form: Novel
Year: 1984
Publication history:
- ???? : Gilgamesh, Roi d'Ourouk (pb) , Gallimard (France), 475 pp., ISBN 2070415864 (in French Gilgamesh, roi d'Ourouk)
- 1984 : Gilgamesh the King (hc) , Arbor House, 320 pp., 599-9
- 1985 : Gilgamesh the King (pb) , Bantam, 306 pp., ISBN 0-553-25250
- 1985 : Gilgamesh the King (hc) , Gollancz (UK)
- 1986 : Gilgamesh the King (pb) , Pan, 300 pp., 29223-4
- 1987 : König Gilgamesch (pb) , Heyne (Germany), ISBN 345300437X (in German )
- 1990 : Gilgamesh, Roi d'Ourouk (hc) , L'Atalante (France), 381 pp., ISBN 2905158220 (in French Gilgamesh, roi d'Ourouk)
- 1996 : König Gilgamesch von Uruk (pb) , Lübbe (Germany), 425 pp., ISBN 3404137981 (in German )
The epic tale of Gilgamesh, the legendary god-king of Sumeria who discovered the secret of eternal life, has enflamed the imagination of countless generations. In Gilgamesh the King, award-winning author Robert Silverberg gives us a vivid portrait of a courageous, lusty, sometimes reckless ruler of men. It is the majestic tale of a man haunted by gods, tormented by his passion for a woman who was his greatest rival, and driven by a thirst for immortality.
A great "fantasy" novel (one of very few Silverberg works I'd consider true fantasy) based on the ancient myths surrounding the Sumerian king Gilgamesh. His story continues into the afterlife in To the Land of the Living.