4.0
Creation
ByPublisher Description
Once again the incomparable Gore Vidal interprets and animates history -- this time in a panoramic tour of the 5th century B.C. -- and embellishes it with his own ironic humor, brilliant insights, and piercing observations. We meet a vast array of historical figures in a staggering novel of love, war, philosophy, and adventure . . .
"There isn't a page of CREATION that doesn't inform and very few pages that do not delight."
-- John Leonard, The New York Times
"There isn't a page of CREATION that doesn't inform and very few pages that do not delight."
-- John Leonard, The New York Times
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities36 Reviews
4.0
Nora
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zazen
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Carriedactyl
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Justin Clark
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“Gore Vidal often remarked that his novels fell into largely two camps: the “inventions,” such as Myra Breckinridge (1968) and Duluth (1983), which explore the human condition through humorous and fantastical situations, and his historical novels, like Julian (1964) and Burr (1973) which are meditations on humanity through the prism of historical events. What’s surprising, though, is that one of his novels actually does a little bit of both, and that is Creation (1981).
Cyrus Spitama, the grandson of Zoroaster the prophet, is one of the Persian empire’s most distinguished courtiers in the 6th and 5th century BC. Upon hearing Herododus’s histories of the wars of ancient Greece, he is inspired to tell his life story to a young Democritus, correcting the record on some of Herododus’s conclusions. Along the way, he tells his life story and the long excursions he took as a diplomat to India, China, and Mesopotamia, learning from such luminaries as the Buddha, Mahavira, and Confucius. His encounters with wise men and women throughout his travels challenge his beliefs in the singular god and the heaven/hell binary of the afterlife. He also advises rulers such as Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes, the latter of whom he helps negotiate the peace with Pericles.
Creation might be Gore Vidal’s most ambitious novel, with sweeping historical knowledge, religious and philosophical meditations, and penetrating insights into humanity. Removed from the prose is his penchant for the vulgar or scandalous and in its place is some of the best writing he ever produced. It is a book that you’ll learn so much from and also be moved by, a rare feat in modern literature.
He conceived it as a foray into comparative religion, and in this respect, I think it succeeded. Readers will encounter many of the major religions and philosophies of the era, including Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Confucianism— all displayed with an openness that leaves one free to consider them equally.
Creation is one of Gore Vidal’s best novels and exemplifies his enormous talents as a writer, historian, and student of philosophy, making it a crucial entry into his substantial body of work.”
Darrynce
Created 5 months agoShare
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About Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is the author, most recently of The Last Empire, a collection of essays from 1992-2000 and The Golden Age, a novel that concludes his seven-volume series of narratives of the American Empire. He divides his time between Ravello, Italy, and Los Angeles.
Other books by Gore Vidal
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