Ancient DMs

Inspired by Jules Verne's 'Around the World in Eighty Days,' David Damrosch takes readers on a global literary voyage. The book features eighty exceptional works of literature, ranging from classics by authors like Woolf and Dante to modern works by Nobel prizewinners such as Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan, and Olga Tokarczuk. Damrosch explores how these books reflect both the personal experiences of their authors and the broader literary world, touching on themes such as social consequences of epidemics, inequality, and patriarchal structures. The book is also a personal memoir of Damrosch's life of reading, incorporating his family history and personal anecdotes[2][4][5].

The book tells the story of the Epic of Gilgamesh, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its rediscovery in the 19th century. It details the efforts of early archaeologists and scholars, such as George Smith and Hormuzd Rassam, who uncovered and deciphered the cuneiform tablets containing the epic. The book also explores the epic's influence on later literature, including the Bible and other ancient texts, and its continued relevance in modern times.