Creation: A Novel
by Gore Vidal
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gore VidalEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-08-27
ISBN: 0375727051
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Creation: A Novel
Book Review: "the sweeping excellence of creation ..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Gore Vidal suggested FIVE USEFUL NOVELS in Salon's Reader's Guide to Contemporary Authors. They are: DOCTOR FAUSTUS by Thomas Mann; GOOD AS GOLD by Joseph Heller; COSMICOMICS by Italo Calvino; THE GOLDEN SPUR by Dawn Powell; and (suprise!)CREATION by Gore Vidal. Regarding his last choice, he says this about its usefulness: "I sometimes write novels that tell things we ought to know about but don't. In the fifth century B.C., one man, had he lived to seventy-five, could have known Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius, and Zoroaster, not to mention Lao Tse, Democritus, et al. I invented such a character, and these admittedly unlikely confrontations take place as we encounter, at its root, every religious and political system that we know today. My recommendation here is entirely disinterested: On writes this sort of book to pass on knowledge of worlds we are encouraged to nothing of ..."
This hopefully will clarify the mis-perceptions of some of the previous reviewers; this book is fiction, not historically based biography. Historically deconstructing this novel because Vidal doesn't faithfully represent the religious and political times of long ago is just absurd.
In CREATION, the reader is transported back 26 centuries into the everyday life of the kingly courts of India, Cathay, Persia, and points in between. This is a philosophical adventure story, and as such, it is compelling. Vidal raises many issues, most of them left dangling in the ancient air for the reader to chew on.
Cyrus, the protagonist and grandson of Zoroaster, recollects his travels and memories for his nephew-statesman Democritus. The search for the meaning of "creation" weaves through these recollections of Cyrus' encounters with the great men of his travels.
Vidal's cynical wit and witty cynicism give this book the necessary tension to make for a provocative and very engaging read. This is reading entertainment at its very best. Highly recommended.
Parataxis
The Cloud Reckoner
Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts
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