Selected letters capturing ongoing conversations between famed
mythologist Joseph Campbell and a remarkable group of artists, seekers,
filmmakers, novelists, and scholars
This brand-new collection of letters features illuminating conversations
between Joseph Campbell and a fascinating cast of correspondents,
ranging from friends and cowriters to renegade scholars and fellow
visionaries. Including letters from both Campbell and his
correspondents, and spanning the course of his entire adult life
(1927-1987), the collection demonstrates the lasting influence of
Campbell's work, which inspired creative endeavors and radical shifts in
so many people's lives. Included are exchanges with artists such as
Angela Gregory and Gary Snyder; colleagues including Alan Watts, Ananda
K. Coomaraswamy, and Maud Oakes; editors of his books, from The Hero
with a Thousand Faces to The Mythic Image; and many others who
engaged with Campbell in his exploration of humanity's "one great
story."
In selecting the letters, editors Evans Lansing Smith and Dennis Patrick
Slattery discovered that the dynamic exchanges formed themselves into
what Smith describes as a "narrative, with multiple voices and points of
view, dramatic conflict and resolution, character development, and even
mystery." In the end, they found "a portrait not just of Campbell but of
a remarkable generation of artists, dancers, filmmakers, musicians,
spiritual seekers, poets, and novelists, all engaged in the creative
powers unleashed by mythology." With crucial historical context provided
by the editors, this compelling volume provides vital new insight into
Campbell's personal life and mythological vision.
