DATING BEFORE THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH, 'ADAPA's ASCENT' HAS CLAIMS TO BE THE VERY FIRST STORY EVER TOLD- The story of Adapa's Ascent was known in Mesopotamia, Egypt and beyond. Abraham himself will have been acquainted with the story of Adapa - a mortal faced with an ultimate choice by God
- Even 'Gilgamesh' (whose epic dates back almost 5 millennia) refers to the 'Seven Sages', of whom Adapa was one. Indeed, Gilgamesh intends to continue their beneficial works
- In fact, it appears that the very first oral forms of the story of Adapa's Ascent may date back almost 1500 years before the bible account of 'Adam and Eve' (c.1000 BCE) immortalized in the Book of Genesis
ADAPA's ASCENT, IN ITS WRITTEN FORM, EXISTS IN SOURCES DATING BACK ALMOST 4000 YEARS - IN THIS NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION IT SPEAKS TO 3rd MILLENNIUM READERS
This book presents the most complete version ever of the miniature epic of the Mesopotamian hero 'Adapa' - an exorcist priest offered Immortality by his Supreme God - and the most difficult decision of his entire existence. Contemporary poet Edouard d'Araille has forged an integrated version of Adapa's Ascent based on all surviving cuneiform tablets - the first form of writing - on which its episodes are written in Sumerian and Akkadian. Based on the most recent interpretative work in Assyriology and never departing from its original sources, Adapa's Ascent presents the most complete vision yet of this heroic 'Myth of Man & Immortality' - a "Story for All Ages".
Adapa's Ascent is the tale of the 'First Man', Adapa, a survivor of the Great Flood who has succeeded in setting up human civilization. However, all does not go well after Adapa is near-drowned by one of the Gods. He strikes them down with a powerful curse and his presence is demanded before Anu - God of all Gods - who will offer him a choice that could change his life forever: Eternal Life. Faced with his ultimate destiny, Adapa must decide whether or not to follow the stern advice of his father Enki, God of the Waters, who foretold to Adapa the scene that would face him in Heaven.
- Presented in 17 Poetic Chapters - with a Prologue and Epilogue - Adapa's Ascent tactfully intercuts between the different characters, episodes and locations of this legendary tale from the ancient world
- Illustrated throughout by the artwork of acclaimed painter Odilon Redon, who dedicated a whole series of paintings to the legend of 'Oannes' (an alternative name of 'Adapa').
- Were it not for a series of exceptional excavations in the 19th Century - that also unearthed ' Gilgamesh' - then Adapa's Ascent would still be unknown!
DISCOVER A STORY THAT WAS BURIED IN SECRET FOR OVER 2500 YEARS - A MYTH OF MAN AND IMMORTALITYFor those wishing to learn more about the narrative, its meaning and origins, the International Library Edition contains critical materials including the essays 'The Birth of Fiction', 'Recreating an Ancient Classic', Character Glossary, Photographs of the Source Tablets and a Select Bibliography, among other featured extras.
No names have been left behind by the authors of the Adapa myth, which has survived in several separate cuneiform fragments [qv. below] referred to collectively by the title 'Adapa into Heaven'. 'Adapa's Ascent' is a work that exists in written form from as early as 1780 BCE (in Sumerian) and whose most refined versions are written in the Akkadian language. Written works, in Mesopotamia, were preserved on clay tablets in a form of writing called cuneiform, formed by impressing characters on soft clay with a writing implement and then letting the tablets bake in the sun or in an oven. When a tablet would be re-written - copied - changes might be made (sometimes improvements or additions) and the text would likely progress to a new stage due to the scribe who was replicating it. The character of the scribe would potentially affect the text and new words might be added, especially to the beginning or end of the work. There is evidence of this happening with 'Adapa's Ascent' but no trace remains of whoever were the authors of the actual tablets. Thus it is not possible to record their biographies here.
Contemporary English language poet Edouard d'Araille, born in 1974, released his first volume 'In a Short Space of Time: A Verse Cycle' in 1999. His début collection was followed by seventeen other full-length publications over the subsequent quarter century. Edouard d'Araille's poetic style varies noticeably between his works, though it is fundamentally unified in the use of concise verses, straightforwardly engaging vocabulary and an energetic playfulness of verbal structures. One of Edouard d'Araille's most noteworthy recent works is 'Adapa's Ascent' (2020), a translation of the Adapa legend from Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform tablets into modern English verse, which includes his essay 'The Birth of Fiction'. Edouard d'Araille has previously translated work from French (Alain Robbe-Grillet) and German (Stefan Zweig), while 'Book of Jesus' (2024) is wholly based on the Koine Greek texts of the four New Testament evangelists. For those new to the writings of Edouard d'Araille, the volume 'Je Suis Poëte' (2021) - now available in a newly revised edition - provides a retrospective overview of 25 years of poetry, featuring core extracts from most of his full-length publications. Before embarking on a career in poetry, Edouard d'Araille directed the feature-length documentary 'Last Year at Marianské Lazné' [aka 'Hotel Marienbad'] (1998) about the literary and cinematic fiction of Alain Robbe-Grillet, a series of experimental short films entitled 'Déja Vu' (1999) as well as music videos for Irish singer-songwriter Johnny Cronin. He was screenwriter for the Arts Council film 'Subtitled', by Greek filmmaker Anastassios Kavassis, and is the screenwriter of forthcoming feature film 'Crime Trap' (2026). He lives in the English market town of Wem.
Odilon Redon was born in Bordeaux, France, on 20th April 1840. Although in his early career - both before and after the Franco-Prussian War - he worked almost exclusively in charcoal and lithography, he would go on to become one of the most significant Symbolist and Post-Impressionist painters, highly skilled also as a draftsman and printmaker. His favored mediums would be oil paint and pastels as they offered him the scope he needed so as to present his dreamic, highly surrealistic internal visions to the world. His recognition came when one of the Naturalist novelists (a school of realism headed by Emile Zola) called Joris-Karl Huysmans, made references to his drawings in his book 'A Rebours' (Against Nature) in 1884. He became famous from that point on and produced a steady stream of work during the 1890s and the first decade and a half of the 20th Century. By 1913 his work was being exhibited at the largest, most significant art exhibition in the World, the US International Exhibition of Modern Art. He was fascinated with the myth of Adapa, also known as Oannes, and produced a series of paintings and black-and-white works along that theme, some of which have been used to illustrate the current volume, along with other of his works that help depict this story. He was also deeply inspired by Hindu, Buddhist and Japanese influences. Odilon Redon married Camille Falte who became proud parents of Arï Redon (1889 - 1972) who was an artistic model of Odilon's and became a significant artist in his own right. Redon worked to the end of his life, dying on 6th July 1916 in Paris.
