Literature In memory of Roberto Calasso - Reading and relevance of ancient mythologies

Stuvanè

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Honestly, I do not know how well he was known abroad, but it is worth remembering this figure of writer and intellectual of very rare culture, who died a few days ago.


Roberto Calasso was the founder and president of the publishing house Adelphi, which distinguished itself from the '70s onwards in Italy for its publications in extremely sought-after fields, authors and works.
Among the most recurrent themes he dealt with there was certainly mythological matter (Greek above all, but also of other cultures, such as the Indian-Vedic one), which he took up in evocative and complex narrations.
Here it is proposed a television recording of almost 30 years ago of one of his lessons, addressed to a class of a Roman high school, dedicated to the interpretation of Greek myths.


Behind the myth there is never a naive fable, but a way of grasping, knowing and conceiving the reality also and above all in its most raw and mysterious aspects. The European culture wanted to get rid of the myth, confining it to literature and developing critical thinking and rationality, but not always a rational approach really succeeds in making reason and explain reality and the world.


Surely it frightens the abyss that separates this kind of television programs from the garbage that we are offered today on TV (the movie is in Italian, but changing the subtitles of Youtube is understandable for anyone).

Enjoy it :)

 
Grazie Stuvane.

Are you aware of Joseph Campbell ? I am sure you will appreciate him as well.
 
Grazie Stuvane.

Are you aware of Joseph Campbell ? I am sure you will appreciate him as well.

Yes, Archetype0ne.
I have him in mind and I share his insights with Jung and the theories of the collective unconscious.
I confess that I have never read it in its entirety, but I particularly enjoyed his "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" :)
 
Grandissimo Stuvane.
A man after my own heart, did not know you are into Jung. One of my favorites to read from my teenage years and left a lasting impression on me. Thank God for him, as I was heading into a very materialistic world view.

Would recommend anyone to watch his full Face to Face BBC interview. Quite telling when he is asked about believing in God :).

1 Min clip below.

 
I started out with Frazier's The Golden Bough.

Then Jung, and then Joseph Campbell.

For those who aren't familiar with him he did a great series with a reporter named Bill Moyers. That "is" available on youtube.


Campbell on Jung, the Self and Myth...
 
Oh, I heard about Joseph Campbell but have never watched the videos yet.
I'm glad that the videos are available on YouTube, because the previous on this thread I can't watch
 

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