Abstract

The Sumerian hymn known as the The Exaltation of Inana, which was attributed to the Old Akkadian priestess Enheduana, is the earliest known depiction of literary authorship. Through a close reading of the text, the essay argues that the figure of the author is created by a number of individuals acting together, including the addressee, performers, and copyists of the poem. Their involvement is necessary for authors to become authors, and authorship can therefore be seen as a collaborative creation even when a text is attributed to a single person. This notion of co‐authorship, not as a collaboration between delimited individuals, but as the collective creation of an authorial persona, makes the author an inherently fluid entity—waxing, waning, dispersed, and regrouped over the course of the text. Having identified this form of co‐authorship in the Exaltation, the essay then traces its dynamics across a wider selection of poems.1

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.