The Best Fiction Books » Poetry

Epic Poems

Epic poems are amongst the first works of literature that survive, the earliest poems—like the Epic of Gilgamesh—likely part of oral traditions that were written down only after writing developed from the third millennium BCE. Later writers often took inspiration from earlier works and poems like Homer's Iliad have had a huge impact on Western literature into the 21st century.

Recommended by Five Books editors

Some epic poems relate history (whether real or mythical), others are stories that deliver social commentary or grapple with religion. Like all great poetry, at their best these poems combine beautiful, evocative language with timeless truths about the human condition.

 

 

 

Interview by Five Books editors

July 8, 2025

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