The Book of All Books

By: Roberto Calasso, Tim Parks - translator

Narrated by: Al Kessel

Roberto Calasso's The Book of All Books is a narration that moves through the Bible as if through a forest, where every branch—every verse—may offer some revelation. Where a man named Saul becomes the first king of a people because his father sent him off to search for some donkeys that had gone astray. Where, in answer to an invitation from Jerusalem's king, the queen of a remote African realm spends three years leading a long caravan of young men, girls dressed in purple, and animals, and with large quantities of spices, to ask the king certain questions. And where a man named Abraham hears these words from a divine voice: "Go away from your land, from your country, and from the house of your father toward the land that I will show you"—words that reverberate throughout the Bible, a story about a separation and a promise followed by many other separations and promises.

The Book of All Books, the tenth part of a series, parallels in many ways the second part, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony. There, gods and heroes of the Greek myths revealed new physiognomies, whereas here many figures of the Bible and its whole outline emerge in a new light: one that is often astonishing and disquieting, as indeed is the book—more so than any other—from which they originate.

©2019 Adelphi Edizioni S.p.A. Milano; translation copyright 2021 by Tim Parks (P)2022 Tantor

Depth of his understanding and research.

I’m really impressed by Roberto Calasso’s writing. The amount of research and the depth he brings to his work is truly impressive. He weaves together countless literary and historical references in such a unique way. I’ve read other books he has written. I’d love to see more on audible. We speak often about History, Evolution, Religion, Psychology, and Myth. Calasso brings back to the front, experts in all these scholarly activities who are dead or long dead. These same questions, we question now.

Good book... glad I found it...

I had gotten the book from my library and had read up to chap3 but then surprisingly enough I saw the audio format and let my ears soak in while my eyes perused the scenes of life.... definitely worth listening to thrice.....

Total crap don't waste time

This garbage is not worthy for me to spend the time to review it here.