Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
38th out of 394 books
—
749 voters
The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony
But where did it all begin?No better answer to that question exists than in the Greek myths that are retold to breathtaking effect Roberto Calasso.Presenting the stories of Zeus and Europa, Theseus and Ariadne, the birth of Athens and the fall of Troy, in all their variants, Calasso uncovers the origins of secrets and tragedy, virginity and rape, and above all, humanity's...more
Paperback, 403 pages
Published
February 27th 1994
by Random House
(first published 1988)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,773)
Un libro di difficile lettura, ma estremamente affascinante. Più profondo di un semplice saggio, più complesso di un racconto, questo libro racconta il meraviglioso intreccio dell'universo mitologico con una prosa rarefatta e a tratti onirica. I rimandi storici e filosofici sono dosati con una bravura non comune e anche se non si è in possesso di una profonda conoscenza della mitologia, il racconto non perde mai forza e il lettore rimane avvinto nella spirale delle storie raccontate, accenate, t...more
I've read this book cover to cover 3 times since I bought it in 1993. It's the best book I've ever read on Greek mythology.
Actually, it's more of an extended (and unfailingly brilliant) meditation on Greek mythology, rather than a summary or "explanation." Calasso is some kind of genius: he's not only read everything, he's thought about it, flipped it backwards and forwards and tilted it sideways in his mind, then filtered whatever he's talking about through a sophisticated prism. The result is...more
Actually, it's more of an extended (and unfailingly brilliant) meditation on Greek mythology, rather than a summary or "explanation." Calasso is some kind of genius: he's not only read everything, he's thought about it, flipped it backwards and forwards and tilted it sideways in his mind, then filtered whatever he's talking about through a sophisticated prism. The result is...more
This is a truly remarkable book which puts classical mythology in an entirely new context. It is one of those rare, insightful books that comes along once every fifty years or so. It is a retelling (translated from the Italian) of Greek myth by an exceptionally talented writer in a style that is poetic, provocative, and profound. The author seeks on every page to delve into the deepest meanings of myths: how they came to be, what they tell us about human nature, and what they reveal about the Gr...more
Jan 28, 2009
Victoria Weinstein
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of the Greek tragedy, philosophy or mythology
Wow. I never thought I'd read this book -- I had flipped through it many times in the bookstore and found it to be rambling and bizarrely organized. But for some reason I purchased it as a used bookstore and decided to read it the right way -- starting on page one, and boy am I glad I did. Calasso does something nearly impossible -- he weaves together all (or almost all) the great stories of Greek antiquity (everything from the Trojan War to the abduction of Persephone) and makes a coherent narr...more
"To invite the gods ruins our relationship with them but sets history in motion. A life in which the gods are not invited isn't worth living. It will be quieter, but there won't be any more stories. And you could suppose that these dangerous invitations were in fact conceived by the gods themselves, because the gods get bored with men who have no stories."
An absolutely brilliant, if meandering, journey through variants of Greek myth. Roberto Calasso writes with evident passion, weaving the ancie...more
An absolutely brilliant, if meandering, journey through variants of Greek myth. Roberto Calasso writes with evident passion, weaving the ancie...more
This book was a difficult book to read and at times I debated continuing. What kept me going was a) the depth of greek mythology that I was not aware of and was curious about b) something along those same lines with regards to greek history and c) the visions of a perception of reality totally different to my own - that is, a world view grounded in myth rather than modern thought. The book is written as a series of disjointed passages that form a mosaic whole. Nothing is explicitly spelled out f...more
I’ve been a fan of Greek mythology ever since I was young. They seemed more revelatory, more adult and far more entertaining than Grimm fairy tales. So I wanted to like this book, especially since the title promised an in-depth look at two people I hadn’t dwelt on much in the more well-known myths.
But this book was so difficult for me to get a handle on that it made reading rather tiring, to be frank. Part historical treatise, part mythological tale, part storytelling at its most convoluted, “T...more
But this book was so difficult for me to get a handle on that it made reading rather tiring, to be frank. Part historical treatise, part mythological tale, part storytelling at its most convoluted, “T...more
A BOOK TO READ AGAIN AND AGAIN.
NEVER WAS THAT OLD SAW MORE APT THAN WITH THIS BOOK.
EXCEPT THAT ONCE READ YOU WILL NEVER ACTUALLY STOP READING.
YOU`LL JUST KEEP DIPPING INTO IT`S WORLD AT RANDOM ; A WORLD-STACK OF DENSELY PACKED MAPS; OF IDEAS AND ASSOCIATIONS THAT JUST AMPLIFY YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, NOT JUST OF THE BOOK AND THE GREEKS AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THEM , BUT OF UNDERSTANDING ITSELF .
IT`S LIKE A MEDITATION MANTRA OR MANDALA FOR COMPREHENDING THE FORMATION OF THE WESTERN MIND(OR REALLY...more
NEVER WAS THAT OLD SAW MORE APT THAN WITH THIS BOOK.
EXCEPT THAT ONCE READ YOU WILL NEVER ACTUALLY STOP READING.
YOU`LL JUST KEEP DIPPING INTO IT`S WORLD AT RANDOM ; A WORLD-STACK OF DENSELY PACKED MAPS; OF IDEAS AND ASSOCIATIONS THAT JUST AMPLIFY YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, NOT JUST OF THE BOOK AND THE GREEKS AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THEM , BUT OF UNDERSTANDING ITSELF .
IT`S LIKE A MEDITATION MANTRA OR MANDALA FOR COMPREHENDING THE FORMATION OF THE WESTERN MIND(OR REALLY...more
The most profound books that I have ever read have left me speechless, even stammering. Such is the case with Roberto Calasso's The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, which I have put down no more than fifteen minutes ago. Here is a book about why myths exist, and why Ancient Greece continues to have such a hold on the Western mind.
One of my strange little reading habits is, for each year, to choose a theme that will guide much of my reading for the year. For 2010, I am delving into Ancient Greece...more
One of my strange little reading habits is, for each year, to choose a theme that will guide much of my reading for the year. For 2010, I am delving into Ancient Greece...more
You know if Calasso didn't seem to be disturbingly down with the rape-and-revenge culture of ancient Greece, I might have been able to enjoy this book a lot more. Those ancient Greeks really need to practice metta and find some way of expanding their collective consciousness to include a broader range of possibilities for sexual and romantic relationships between men and women. If we're accepting that a good amount of what we currently refer to as "Western culture" comes out of ancient Greek cul...more
E' come la spirale dell'ipnosi. Tutto parte da un punto, quasi insignificante, e comincia a disegnare un giro attorno a se stesso, e si ripete ancora, ancora e ancora, all'infinito. Sembra quasi una pellicola ipnotizzante, sul serio. Riflessi dell'immagine originale, di una specie di big bang da cui ha avuto origine una serie di eventi che non fa altro che ripetersi, accamuffandosi in personaggi e luoghi diversi. E noi, che navighiamo in questo mare enorme, che alla fine è una pellicola sola, ci...more
Calasso's famous book gives us a new telling of the old Greek myths. It's the familiar couched in a new language so stirring it becomes poetry. Such exquisite language is needed to capture the essence of those moments when the gods are at once themselves and yet are everywhere and everything.
In other writings Calasso has flirted with the idea that the gods were once as real as you and I but that they went away. A lovely idea as romantic as the myths themselves. The marriage of Cadmus and Harmony...more
In other writings Calasso has flirted with the idea that the gods were once as real as you and I but that they went away. A lovely idea as romantic as the myths themselves. The marriage of Cadmus and Harmony...more
Wow, I agree with the reviews printed on the back, this book is a masterpiece.
It's not a very light read but it is enjoyable. I enjoyed his style and the way he revealed less known details of the Greek myths particularly. One thing though, one has to already know the myths to enjoy this properly, it is not an introduction to them but a retelling, with exquisite details and a lot of stray thoughts woven in beautifully.
He does tend to ramble on a lot though and I got impatient with that at some p...more
It's not a very light read but it is enjoyable. I enjoyed his style and the way he revealed less known details of the Greek myths particularly. One thing though, one has to already know the myths to enjoy this properly, it is not an introduction to them but a retelling, with exquisite details and a lot of stray thoughts woven in beautifully.
He does tend to ramble on a lot though and I got impatient with that at some p...more
It's rare that book this profound, this downright difficult, can speak to us with such passion and clarity that I can with confidence say that the reader will never again look at the myths that are the wellspring of western philosophy in quite the same way. Calasso's exploration of Greek myth is part philosopical, part sociological - and wholly inspired storytelling. The Gods themselves, always wanting to hear their own names and loving a good story, kissed Calasso's mouth with the gift of poetr...more
A beautiful read that I've only ever been able to enjoy in pieces. Some passages are moving and hit me deeply, most are just fanciful. I'm not sure what I would be like if I tried to read it straight thru. If you find yourself walking around in a introverted daze, let me know. I often see Tilda Swinton playing all of the female roles. Did you see her movie, Orlando? I experience the same detached but dreamy loveliness when I watch the movie or read the Marriage of C & H. If you've never expe...more
A "thoughtful romp" through classical mythology: serpentine and cyclical, symmetrical and ornate, equal parts pornographic and gruesome. It is very easy to get lost in this book and then resurface, cresting on a particularly beautiful passage and unsure of quite where you've landed. More than that, the chapters on Pelops, the Oracle at Delphi and others read like some freak Greek blockbuster.
"What are the mysteries? 'The saying of many ridiculous things and many serious things' is the definitio...more
"What are the mysteries? 'The saying of many ridiculous things and many serious things' is the definitio...more
Recommended to me by Eloise at a friend's Christmas party. The author, Robert Calasso, wrote the earlier The Ruin of Kasch in 1983, a book admired by Italo Calvino. Dedicated to the French statesman Talleyrand, it was followed in 1988 by The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, in which the tale of Cadmus and his wife Harmonia becomes a pretext for re-telling the great tales of Greek mythology and reflecting on the reception of Greek culture for a contemporary readership. Another world civilization i...more
It's rare when I can say I've never read a book quite like this, and this is one of those times. A combination of literature, philosophy, history and a bit of sociology, the closest thing I can compare it to is Bulfinch's "The Age of Fable," but way more inventive and engaging, making the myths relevant to humanity. Calasso retells the Greek myths as a way of examining and attempting to understand ancient Greek culture. What lies behind these fantastic stories we love as children and continue to...more
Excellent. Takes one deep into mythology in a delightful way I have not encountered elsewhere. His book on Literature and the Gods is on my "to buy" list, but I should get Ka read first.
Wonderful book covering the stories of Greek mythology. The author writes as if he were the contemporary of the ancient Greek writers and storytellers like Pausanias and Aristophanes and at the same time a contemporary of those who have recovered the ancient culture during the time of Renaissance. There is no index - you have to read it through and remember - just as if someone read to you a long poem by Homer.
I read this one summer and it nearly melted my brain, challenging what I thought I knew (and what I didn't know) about Greek mythology. I found myself constantly back peddling and referencing other books to clarify my thoughts.
Then one day I said "screw it," and just read the book without looking at anything else.
It improved my experience a lot and I ended up enjoying the book very much.
Then one day I said "screw it," and just read the book without looking at anything else.
It improved my experience a lot and I ended up enjoying the book very much.
Queste cose non accaddero mai, ma sono sempre. (Sallustio)
"Un ricchissimo fregio di storie intrecciate tra loro a formare un cerchio."
La fine è inoltre annodata all'inizio - ma - giacché ci troviamo di fronte ad un fluire circolare di narrazioni, sembra improprio parlare di inizio e di fine - il nostro punto di partenza è contiguo al nostro punto di arrivo. "È il sigillo della circolarità."
"Un ricchissimo fregio di storie intrecciate tra loro a formare un cerchio."
La fine è inoltre annodata all'inizio - ma - giacché ci troviamo di fronte ad un fluire circolare di narrazioni, sembra improprio parlare di inizio e di fine - il nostro punto di partenza è contiguo al nostro punto di arrivo. "È il sigillo della circolarità."
Not an easy book to get to grips with but then re-telling the ancient greek myths is not an easy task. Gods entering the world to rape and abduct beautiful mortals and the story of their progeny, who in some cases are fated to repeat this shocking behaviour, seems to be the constant theme. Are all religions seeking to justify themselves with references to some sort of special, indeed immaculate, conception? Can the gods only be appeased by beautiful virgins? All very brutal yet the ancient gods...more
Un affascinante dedalo di miti, echi di un mondo sospeso tra racconto e leggenda, tra cui è piacevole abbandonarsi guidati dalle virtuose costruzioni letterarie dell'autore. Un libro molto particolare, che non si limita a raccontare il mito, ma che ne ricrea sapientemente atmosfere e malìe, facendo sprofondare il lettore in una dimensione antica e suggestiva.
History, philosophy, mythology... Calasso is a master, and guides you through the maze of the antique gods and their stories with a modern eye and breathtaking knowledge. His book is a joy for the mind, that makes you rethink what you thought you already knew in vertiginous ways. It's thrilling and exciting, and it illuminates not only the Antique world we learned about at school but also our very own world. Brilliant and fascinatingly intelligent.
This is a really well done book. We get the opportunity to read through the long mythology of ancient Greece, from the early violations of young virgins through to the transition from myth to legend to history. Calasso's narrative is compelling for anyone whether you love Greek myths or not.
I started this book when it was new, I got it for Christams in 1988 (actually I received two of them), I started it but I couldn't finish it quickly (it's rather heavy, but not in a bad way... very 'pregnant' of different meanings, allusions, connections... or at least I thought so at the time). A few months afterward the author visited my high school, he was supposed to speak about this same book. Unfortunately, not many of us students were present at the event making him evidently very disappo...more
Nov 25, 2008
40 Forte
added it
I feel kind of guilty rating this....so I won't.
This is one of those books that stylistically I had some issues with, but I could sense that it had a lot to say. Unfortunately, for me-although I thought I had a solid understanding of greek mythlogy, I was nowhere near ready for the depth of this work.
This reads like a an adjunct text to a PHD course in the subject, and so I can tell that I am missing large chunks of Calasso's efforts.
A quality work that I'm not really qualified to comment on.
This is one of those books that stylistically I had some issues with, but I could sense that it had a lot to say. Unfortunately, for me-although I thought I had a solid understanding of greek mythlogy, I was nowhere near ready for the depth of this work.
This reads like a an adjunct text to a PHD course in the subject, and so I can tell that I am missing large chunks of Calasso's efforts.
A quality work that I'm not really qualified to comment on.
The best review of Greek mythology I've ever read. Calasso organizes the myths by theme and chronology and writes about the myths themselves, their relationship to each other and the subtext in a lovely, lyrical way.
Poetic and thought-provoking, though I will admit that certain metaphorical flights of fancy went sailing blithely over my head. Still, a lovely book, and one I'll have to reread in a few years to see what else is in here to be discovered.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Roberto Calasso (born 30 May 1941 in Florence) is an Italian publisher and writer. He was born into a family of the local upper class, well connected with some of the great Italian intellectuals of their time. His maternal grandfather Giovanni Codignola was a professor of philosophy at Florence University. Codignola created a new publishing house called La Nuova Italia, in Florence, just like his...more
More about Roberto Calasso...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Pag. 385
updated Sep 26, 2011 08:06am
Sep 30, 2011 11:46am