- Hardcover: 592 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday; Subsequent edition (Sep 10 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385507623
- ISBN-13: 978-0385507622
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.5 x 7.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 885 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,118,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In 445 B.C., Cyrus Spitama, the grandson of the prophet Zoroaster, is the Persian ambassador to the city of Athens. He has a rather caustic appreciation of his situation: "I am blind. But I am not deaf. Because of the incompleteness of my misfortune, I was obliged yesterday to listen for nearly six hours to a self-styled historian whose account of what the Athenians like to call 'the Persian Wars' was nonsense of a sort that were I less old and more privileged, I would have risen to my seat at the Odeon and scandalized all Athens by answering him." Having thus dismissed Herodotus, Cyrus then dictates his life story to his nephew, Democritus, with similar disdain for the Greeks--whom we in the modern world have come to view as the progenitors of civilization, but whom Cyrus considers to be bad-smelling rabble.
Of course, Cyrus Spitama speaks with a very modern, ironic voice supplied to him by Gore Vidal--and the political intrigues in which Cyrus finds himself immersed are likewise familiar territory for fans of Vidal's historical fiction. But the narrator's delightfully wicked observations are the icing on a narrative of truly epic scope--out of his desire to understand the origins of the world, Cyrus undertakes journeys to India, where he encounters disciples of the Buddha, and China, where he engages Confucius in philosophical conversation while the great sage fishes by the riverside. Creation offers insights into classical history laced with scintillating wit and narrative brio. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Something old, something new: Vidal's classic, narrated by the grandson of the prophet Zoroaster, is being republished in an expanded edition that includes material from the original manuscript that never made its way into print.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
what an idea!,
By
This review is from: Creation (Mass Market Paperback)
Having read it many years ago, I bought this book as a gift fora friend in the hospital... Just for fun, I opened it up to peruse it a bit. And then I became totally engrossed and read it again cover to cover. THat is the test of a great book: you can read it again and again and see more each time.Of all of Vidal's novels, this one has the most ideas: the main character (a Persian ambassador to Athens who despises what he hears Herodotus reading) recounts his meetings with the creators of the several great cosmological systems, that is, monotheism, hinduism, and confucianism, all of whom may have lived within one person's lifetime. These are some of the principal systems that have undergirded world civilisations ever since. Vidal recounts them with fascination and acid wit. But that is not all. At the core of the book is a portrayal of court life at the high noon of the Persian empire, a hotbed of intrigue, fellowship, and sex. You learn about subject Babylon, Xerxes' alcoholism, and the governance via eunichs from the inner chambers of the queen's harem. What is most original is that Vidal sets Persian civilisation in stark contrast to the more primitive Greeks, who were enjoying their own golden (Periklean) age. This neatly turns our Western self image of Greek glory on its head, and is hilarious as well as effective satire (though Vidal is so subtle that I may be misreading him here). Highly recommended, the best historical novel I ever read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read,
By Chitown Reader (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Creation (Mass Market Paperback)
Recently on an interview broadcast on C-SPAN, Gore Vidal, when asked what he would do if he were to be King for a day said that he would make everyone read this book. After reading it, I must agree. This is a truly enjoyable and entertaining book to read, but more than that it is profound in its insight and wisdom into the organized religious structure of society today. Vidal uses the origins of the various religions and slightly veiled fictional religions to present his thesis and critique of the monotheistic religions. I highly recommend this book to everyone, whether you are looking for merely an entertaining book to read or for something more, this book will "create" that experience for you.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One the best books about Western take on Eastern mysticism,
By Jagan Garimella (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Creation (Mass Market Paperback)
Hats off to Gore Vidal, who amazed me with his understanding of the ancient eastern world, without going overboard with the fallacies in the system. A must created and the book certainly goes in the "A" list of books
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