Literature and the Gods

Brilliant, inspired, and gloriously erudite, Literature and the Gods is the culmination of Roberto Calasso's lifelong study of the gods in the human imagination. By uncovering the divine whisper that lies behind the best poetry and prose from across the centuries, Calasso gives us a renewed sense of the mystery and enchantment of great literature.

From the banishment of the classical divinities during the Age of Reason to their emancipation by the Romantics and their place in the literature of our own time, the history of the gods can also be read as a ciphered and splendid history of literary inspiration. Rewriting that story, Calasso carves out a sacred space for literature where the presence of the gods is discernible. His inquiry into the nature of "absolute literature" transports us to the realms of Dionysus and Orpheus, Baudelaire and Mallarm , and prompts a lucid and impassioned defense of poetic form, even when apparently severed from any social function. Lyrical and assured, Literature and the Gods is an intensely engaging work of literary affirmation that deserves to be read alongside the masterpieces it celebrates.

Author: Roberto Calasso
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 06/04/2002
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.52lbs
Size: 8.02h x 5.20w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9780375725432
ISBN10: 0375725431
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Ancient and Classical
- Social Science | Folklore & Mythology
- Social Science | Popular Culture