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A review by tri_lo_bite
Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna by Betty de Shong Meador, Enheduanna
This was my second stop on my quest to read all the religious texts in the world, and where better to go than the beginning?
Enheduanna is the first author whose name we know. This book contains her three long poems, exaltations to the goddess Inanna.
The poems were gorgeous. It’s clear that the translator, Betty De Shong Meador is a poet. But what she is not is an archaeologist or historian.
I’m a little confused about how this book was written to be honest. Meador says she cannot read cuneiform, and had a colleague help her with her translations. But she also says that she didn’t have her poems looked over after the fact, which doesn’t quite make sense to me.
I’d really like to read a biography about Enheduanna written by a historian. She sounds fascinating, and if Meador’s translations are accurate, she has wonderful poetry. I just don’t quite trust the analysis Meador provided. I’d love to, it’s lovely and well written, but it’s also looked at through a very strong feminist lens-don’t get me wrong, that can be great, but when Meador isn’t a historian it kind of worries me- and used almost as a critique of Christianity and Judaism, two much much later religions. Sure, you can of course trace things back through history, but I’d like a second opinion on some of the theories.
I’m not saying it wasn’t lovely. It was. The poetry was wonderful, and I did learn a lot through both the poems and the analysis. I found myself grinning at Inanna’s blood thirstiness, and at her love.
And I got so so so excited at evidence for trans folk way back in the poems written by the first named author! I mean, how cool is that! And not only are their trans folk, but they’re sacred. How beautiful.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to give this book a star rating. For Enheduanna herself? 5 stars. Meador? Not sure.
TW: death, blood, gore, castration, killing of people and animals, not graphic mentions of sex
Enheduanna is the first author whose name we know. This book contains her three long poems, exaltations to the goddess Inanna.
The poems were gorgeous. It’s clear that the translator, Betty De Shong Meador is a poet. But what she is not is an archaeologist or historian.
I’m a little confused about how this book was written to be honest. Meador says she cannot read cuneiform, and had a colleague help her with her translations. But she also says that she didn’t have her poems looked over after the fact, which doesn’t quite make sense to me.
I’d really like to read a biography about Enheduanna written by a historian. She sounds fascinating, and if Meador’s translations are accurate, she has wonderful poetry. I just don’t quite trust the analysis Meador provided. I’d love to, it’s lovely and well written, but it’s also looked at through a very strong feminist lens-don’t get me wrong, that can be great, but when Meador isn’t a historian it kind of worries me- and used almost as a critique of Christianity and Judaism, two much much later religions. Sure, you can of course trace things back through history, but I’d like a second opinion on some of the theories.
I’m not saying it wasn’t lovely. It was. The poetry was wonderful, and I did learn a lot through both the poems and the analysis. I found myself grinning at Inanna’s blood thirstiness, and at her love.
And I got so so so excited at evidence for trans folk way back in the poems written by the first named author! I mean, how cool is that! And not only are their trans folk, but they’re sacred. How beautiful.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to give this book a star rating. For Enheduanna herself? 5 stars. Meador? Not sure.
TW: death, blood, gore, castration, killing of people and animals, not graphic mentions of sex