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The Tablet of Destinies

(Paperback)


Publishing Details

Full Title:

The Tablet of Destinies

Contributors:

By (Author) Roberto Calasso
Translated by Tim Parks

ISBN:

9780141998459

Publisher:

Penguin Books Ltd

Imprint:

Penguin Books Ltd

Publication Date:

20th February 2024

UK Publication Date:

16th November 2023

Country:

United Kingdom

Classifications

Readership:

General

Fiction/Non-fiction:

Non Fiction

Other Subjects:

Ancient religions and Mythologies

Dewey:

853.914

Physical Properties

Physical Format:

Paperback

Number of Pages:

128

Dimensions:

Width 130mm, Height 198mm, Spine 9mm

Weight:

103g

Description

An immersive and mesmerizing narrative that reimagines the Mesopotamian myth of the Great Flood A long time ago, the gods grew tired of humans and decided to send a flood to destroy them. But Ea, the god of fresh underground water, didn't agree. He advised one of his devotees, Utnapishtim, to build a quadrangular boat to house humans and animals, and saved these living creatures from the Flood. Rather than punish Utnapishtim for his disobedience, Enlil, King of the gods, granted the mortal eternal life and banished him to the island of Dilmun. Thousands of years later, when Sinbad the Sailor is shipwrecked and arrives on that very same island, the two begin a conversation about courage, loss, salvation and sacrifice.

Reviews

A universe of blood, violence, and magic . . . A vigorous rendering of the remote past * Kirkus *
Stimulating . . . Calasso's style calls to mind [Italo] Calvino's dreamlike fabulism . . . and Parks's translation is beautifully rendered and gripping, maintaining Calasso's dreamlike tone . . . Calasso vividly creates a world of gods and humankind that is unfamiliar, poetic, and memorable. This slim volume packs a potent and thought-provoking punch * Publishers Weekly *
The 11th volume of the late Italian writer and polymath's investigation of ancient religion interprets Mesopotamian mythology to tell the story of Utnapishtim, an eternal figure who saved life on Earth from a catastrophic flood sent by vengeful and murderous gods * The New York Times *

Author Bio

Roberto Calasso (1941-2021) was the director of the renowned Italian publishing house Adelphi Edizioni and the author of numerous books, including the international bestseller The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, a touchstone in his wide-ranging series of works that map the emergence of mind from myth to modernity. The series began with The Ruin of Kasch and also includes Ka, K., Tiepolo Pink, La Folie Baudelaire, Ardor, The Celestial Hunter and The Unnamable Present.

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