Ludmila Zeman

The second book in Zeman's Gilgamesh trilogy. As with the first, the story is rather freely adapted, and the art work is enjoyable and mixes Sumerian, Assyrian and even Babylonian influences. Gilgamesh and Enkidu play the Royal Game of Ur on an enormous board and later, after the battle with the Bull of Heaven we can spot the Ishtar Gate. There are numerous fine ziggurats in many of the backgrounds and the Standard of Ur is again incorporated into the borders of some illustrations. The artwork now spans almost 2 millennia which is a mighty long time, but what's being illustrated is a myth, not history. Did the Babylonians who built the Ishtar Gate still enjoy the Gilgamesh myth? I do not know.… (més)

The first book in a Gilgamesh trilogy. A particularly charming illustration shows the two heroes fixing to fight and yelling cuneiform threats or insults at each other. After the celebrations, the heroes kick back with an enormous pipe. What are they smoking? Generally the illustrations seem to mix up Assyrian and Sumerian art, we see the standard of Ur, and what looks like a Sumerian battle wagon, but also some Assyrian bulls and armor. The effect is pleasant. The story seems rather freely adapted, almost too much so.… (més)

For all its critical aclaim, this book seems to have been one which slipped through the cracks with the general population, since very few people I know ran into it as a kid and I don't see it often in book stores or libraries. Myths and legends from cultures around the world are always a popular topic, but the focus still tends to be on the Greco-Roman traditions, with dashs of Egyptian, Chinese, and Eastern-European thrown in, and few go back far enough to touch on the stories of Gilgamesh. Maybe these stories are more difficult to romanticize or the plots are just a bit too unfamiliar for most people to delve into. We got this story (and still have it) because we read anything and everything available in the myths and legends section, and its one that has struck strongly in my memories. I may have forgotten about much of the plot until this re-read, but the artwork was instantly recognizable and enigmatic. Zeman could have chosen a multitude of styles for her artwork for this book, but it works so well to utilize the stylistic motifs from ancient Assyrian sculptures and friezes in this instance. If anything, she could have gone even further into the style, breaking up the story into even more panels to emphasize the style of some carvings that were used to decorate temples and public buildings at the time when the Gilgamesh story was contemporary. I'm sure this wouldn't have gone over that well with truely young readers though, so I applaud her overall application of elements like repetitive graphics, flat line reliefs, and a stark (yet colourful) palette to convey this classic legend.… (més)