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The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony Paperback – February 8, 1994

by Roberto Calasso (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 205 ratings
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Presenting the stories of Zeus and Europa, Theseus and Ariadne, the birth of Athens and the fall of Troy, in all their variants, Calasso also uncovers the distant origins of secrets and tragedy, virginity, and rape. "A perfect work like no other. (Calasso) has re-created . . . the morning of our world."--Gore Vidal. 15 engravings.
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  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    February 8, 1994
  5. Dimensions
    5.18 x 1.03 x 7.99 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0679733485
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0679733485
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Presenting the stories of Zeus and Europa, Theseus and Ariadne, the birth of Athens and the fall of Troy, in all their variants, Calasso also uncovers the distant origins of secrets and tragedy, virginity, and rape. "A perfect work like no other. (Calasso) has re-created . . . the morning of our world."--Gore Vidal. 15 engravings.

From the Back Cover

Already an international literary event, and translated into a dozen languages, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony is a book without any modern parallel. Forming an active link in a chain that reaches back through Ovid's Metamorphoses directly to Homer, Roberto Calasso's reexploration of the fantastic fables we may think we know explodes the entire world of Greek mythology, pieces it back together as it once must have been, and presents it to us in a new astonishing, and utterly contemporary way. "But how did it all begin?" The eternal question that Man has always asked of his universe also forms the opening words of this book. In answer, and in the voice of the born story-teller (all erudition, all interpretation is hidden in the folds of his dazzling narrative), Calasso leads us through the maze, back to the time when the gods were not yet born from the original coupling of Uranus and Ge, Mother Earth; then forward again, all the way to the death of Odysseus, which marks the end of the age of heroes; and - most important of all - to the marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, the last occasion when the gods sat down at a feast with mortal men. That day began a chain of calamities, a streak of blood that parted earth from Olympus forever. What was left - Cadmus's parting gift to men - was the alphabet, and from it both history and poetry, and so our world, were born. Yet the world of myth is not dead - it is present now as it was in the time of Homer. The most dangerous event since the beginning of time has been the gods' discovery of us, their Olympian fascination with these human creatures that led them first to invade our world, then to assume human form for their own purposes and their ownterrible games. The consequences of that fascination are the extraordinary encounters that we know as the myths - the great, hypnotic, erotic, often contradictory stories that Calasso walks us back into as if they are some vast, half-ruined palace we had forgotten we owned. At the end, the gods abandoned the world. But the multifaceted psychology of modern man and his atemporal sense of time have brought him closer than ever to the mythic condition. And as the author reminds us, the gods - now as then - do not ask to be believed; they ask only to be recognized. "These things never happened, but they are always". Roberto Calasso's book transforms our relationship to the wellsprings of our culture.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (February 8, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679733485
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679733485
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 1.03 x 7.99 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 205 ratings

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Roberto Calasso

Roberto Calasso

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
205 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Aran Joseph Canes
5.0 out of 5 stars An Intellectual Survey of Greek Mythology
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
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Many authors have lamented the loss of the power of myth in modern life. J.R.R. Tolkien created an imagined universe, Joseph Campbell inspired George Lucas by exploring the underlying themes in world mythology and Roberto Calasso wrote The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony. It’s a unique perspective.

Calasso’s technique is to tacitly assume that the reader is fairly conversant with the Greek myths. Then he retells them in highly terse versions which allows him space to provide his own interpretations of their underlying meaning. Beginning with the earliest myths about the origins of life and the cosmos via sexual and anthropomorphic metaphors and ending with the almost novelistic Odyssey, Calasso not only has theories about the myths but a meta-theory, which happens to be implied in its title.

The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony was the last meeting of gods and men on earth. Cadmus, who is the mythological inventor of the alphabet, begins the gradual transition from mythology to history, from stories of the gods to literature. Myths are seen as the determinants of human possibilities. In some ways, Calasso sees us as still reenacting the lives of Achilles and Agamemnon.

It’s an impressive effort by an author who was obviously thoroughly conversant with the myths of many cultures. I personally liked this book more than Ka, his examination of Vedic mythology, simply because I was already roughly familiar with the underlying narratives. It’s not a book everyone should read but if you do have a mythological inclined mind or a proclivity for ancient civilizations it is well worth reading. I, at least, enjoyed every moment of it.
15 people found this helpful
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Carlos Parra
5.0 out of 5 stars a work of art
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2021
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The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony has me mesmerized from beginning to end. The writing is enlightening and beautiful, leaving you wanting more when you reach the end.
4 people found this helpful
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Lilliana Ramos-Collado
5.0 out of 5 stars Roberto Calasso Rules!!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019
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The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony is one of Calasso's best books. It was the first I read. And I keep going back to Calasso. Potential readers beware! Once Calasso catches you, you will always want to remain caught in his extraordinary web of literature, biography, cultural commentary... He is one of the best authors of the 20th-21first Centuries. This book is simply perfect. He knows about books and about his own books. He is also the best editor in Italy. I keep checking Amazon for a new Calasso book. His brilliant intelligence shines through this book and all his books. Calasso rules!
21 people found this helpful
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don morgan
4.0 out of 5 stars The author obviously has spent a good deal to time studying greek mythology and literature and ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
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The author obviously has spent a good deal to time studying greek mythology and literature and contemporary literature. In this book, he uses the mythology and folktales as a kind of rorschach to interpret modern life, mankind and the Greek culture and Weltanschauung。 Many of his interpretations of what he has read disagree with my own and some irritated me but it is a compelling book, well written, that keeps you reading. I recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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Thoth
5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories interwoven
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2021
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Into a 3 dimensional fantasy world that bred the Greek civilization. If you wonder why the record of the myths is not consistent, this book will help settle your discomfort. And you'll have fun being swept along. It helps to have a Kindle for easy lookups in Wikipedia.
3 people found this helpful
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Katherine M Lydon
3.0 out of 5 stars Charming but don't rely on this to understand ancient mythology
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2013
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Calasso has a lovely style and a Euro-philosophical air of profundity but my guess is that he based this book on what he learned in college, when nineteenth-century accounts of classical myth and literature were still accepted. Things have changed enormously since then, so if you want accuracy just get a RECENT edition of the Oxford Classical Dictionary. You can't tell when Calasso is telling you about the actual ancient world or just free-associating, anyway. Pure dilettantism.
7 people found this helpful
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bookreviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars Condition as described
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2022
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speedy delivery, condition as described, first American edition, classic book
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Jeremy
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful re-telling of Greek cosmology meshed with erudite philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2015
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Calasso is a one-of-a-kind thinker writing a book no one else could. A masterful re-telling of Greek mythos and cosmology, Calasso twists erudite philosophy into every line and also tells familiar stories adeptly, leaving you completely entranced. It's dense but thrilling. I'll take Ovid or Calasso, but no other retelling of the originals can satisfy me.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amadeus 888
5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly beautiful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2022
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Weaving together broken strands of Greek myth with his own philosophical meditations on the stories so re-told Roberto Calasso has written one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. A rare treat.
2 people found this helpful
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Subhasis
2.0 out of 5 stars Overhyped. It omits the tale of Prometheus.
Reviewed in India on February 28, 2023
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No book on Greek mythology is complete without the story of Prometheus stealing the fire. But this book only mentions that as a passing remark.

Also, this book lacks an index. So you can't look up specific stories.
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Russell Wustenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2017
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Amazing book, and incredibly helpful for rethinking the process of mythologizing the ancient world.
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D Freddy
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2017
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Fascinating and leads to more.
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Penelope
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2014
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This was one of the most wonderful books I ever read.
I'm passionate about Ancient Greece, and I think Roberto Calasso traveled in time and when he returned he managed to condense the Ancient Greek spirit in one marvellous book.
7 people found this helpful
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