The Tablet of Destinies

May 19, 2024 9:12 PM

Author:Roberto Calasso,Tim Parks

A beguiling new reimagining of one of the most ancient and mysterious origin myths of human civilization

'The Flood didn't come suddenly as a big surprise. It came at the end of a long, tormented story. Men just went on multiplying and the noise they made was ever more irksome . . . I remember days of desperation.'

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.

Following Calasso's masterful retelling of ancient Greek myths in The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony and Indic myths in Ka, this richly imaginative work delves into the crucible of our collective consciousness to reimagine the origin stories of one of the earliest human civilizations.

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

Practical, doable techniques for making two game-changing inner moves: getting out of your head, as well as taming your demons [...] all backed up by rigorous science

—— Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier

Highly recommend

—— Dan Harris, bestselling author of 10% Happier

An exciting new book that combines recent research into meditation with fresh, accessible, and profound teachings on the actual practice

—— Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart

A rare blend of genuine, far-reaching meditative wisdom and the cutting-edge neuroscience that both explains and supports it. This book is an extraordinary collaboration and a great jewel that will benefit all who read it

—— Joseph Goldstein, author of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom

PRAISE FOR TSOKNYI RINPOCHE - He is a powerful and eloquent link between the great yogi practitioners of old Tibet and our bewildering twenty-first century. He's completely comfortable in both. And he makes us comfortable, too.

—— Richard Gere

Goleman offers hope for us all

—— The Times

[Why We Meditate] shows how we can regain our innate rhythm

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

Each chapter is a kind of antidote for the scepticism...read this book

—— New Scientist

Greek Myths is a gripping collection of stories... The addition of illustrations, done by Chris Ofili, add to the elegance of the book... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Greek mythology.

—— Impact Nottingham

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