The March Defector Reads A Book Selection Is Here

Thanks, friends of DRAB, for a fun discussion of The Age of Innocence earlier this month. I loved the chance to reconsider a favorite of mine alongside first-time readers and established Whartonheads alike.

We're back this month with something a bit older! In fact, it's about as old as you can get: Our March DRAB selection is the Epic of Gilgamesh. The ancient Mesopotamian poem has survived incompletely—new fragments pop up every so often, altering its shape—and translators have approached that challenge in different ways. For our discussion, we've chosen a fairly recent translation by Sophus Helle. But like we said when DRAB read Beowulf, if you're not able to get your hands on this particular translation, feel free to try a different version and report back with your thoughts.

If you’re interested in participating in the discussion this month, we recommend looking for a copy at your local library, stopping by an independent bookstore, or heading over to Bookshop.org. (There, you'll also find a list of previous Defector Reads A Book selections and some other staff favorites.)

Meet us back here at Defector on Thursday, April 14, to discuss. We’ll make sure to send out a reminder in The Cipher, the daily newsletter that goes out to all Pal-and-up subscribers. Happy reading!