A review by ladyofnorthfarm
Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna by Betty De Shong Meador, Judy Grahn, Enheduanna

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

it’s pretty clear the further you get into this text that De Shong Meador was trained as a Jungian analyst, as some of her extrapolations on the source material are a bit far fetched and begin to sound repetitive. however her historical research is very thorough, and her attempts to try and immerse the reader in the time and place of a priestess from the 23rd century bc are highly successful. her prose translations are unique, and in many places timelessly stunning. a personal favorite of mine was: fighting is her play / she never tires of it / she goes out running / strapping on her sandals. i do think that it is helpful to have been exposed to more classical forms of ancient poem, epic, etc translation however before reading this text, or even reading it in tandem with a more traditional translation of the same, such as The Exaltation of Inanna by J. J. A. van Dijk and William W. Hallo, which De Shong Meador does cite throughout. overall a worthwhile and intriguing read!