The Tablet of Destinies
About this eBook
As a reward for his courage, Utnapishtim is granted immortality by Enlil, king of the gods, and exiled to the island of Dilmun. Millennia later, Sindbad the Sailor finds himself shipwrecked on this legendary isle, where he and Utnapishtim embark on a profound discourse about bravery, sacrifice, and the human condition. The Tablet of Destinies delves into our most ancient mythologies, presenting a continuous narrative that traces the genesis of human civilization. Calasso's sweeping epic, commencing with The Ruin of Kasch in 1983, is a testament to the enduring power of myth and storytelling.
About the author
Roberto Calasso (1941–2021) was born in Florence and lived in Milan. Begun in 1983 with The Ruin of Kasch, his landmark series now comprises The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Ka, K., Tiepolo Pink, La Folie Baudelaire, Ardor, The Celestial Hunter, The Unnamable Present, The Book of All Books, and now The Tablet of Destinies. Calasso also wrote the novel The Impure Fool and eight books of essays, the first three of which have been published in English: The Art of the Publisher, The Forty-Nine Steps, Literature and the Gods, The Madness That Comes from the Nymphs, One Hundred Letters to an Unknown Reader, The Hieroglyphs of Sir Thomas Browne, The Rule of the Good Neighbor; or, How to Find an Order for Your Books, and American Allucinations. He was the publisher of Adelphi Edizioni.
Tim Parks has translated works by Machiavelli, Leopardi, Moravia, Pavese, and Calvino. He is also the author of many novels and works of nonfiction, most recently Out of My Head: On the Trail of Consciousness and The Hero’s Way: Walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna.
