Joseph Campbell – författare

Joseph Campbells klassiska studie Hjälten med tusen ansikten (1949) skildrar den mytologiske hjältens äventyrliga resa och frilägger det standardmönster som återfinns i myter från alla tider och kulturer. Äventyret består av tre faser: avfärd, invigning och återkomst.

Campbell illustrerar sitt hjälteschema med otaliga mytiska exempel från världens alla hörn med både manliga hjältar (Theseus, Osiris, Siegfried, Väinämöinen) och kvinnliga (Inanna, Psyche, prinsessan Budur).

Med stöd hos Freud och Jung visar Campbell att den mytologiske hjältens äventyr korresponderar med människors undermedvetna och våra drömmar. Campbells stora gåva till sin läsekrets är nämligen att myterna är i högsta grad levande och aktuella för oss än i dag.

Hjälten med tusen ansikten är en av 1900-talets viktigaste böcker och Campbells mest inflytelserika verk. Den tog myterna ut ur arkiven och placerade dem mitt i den moderna människans sökande efter sin identitet.

Sin kanske största betydelse har boken haft för en hel generation författare, poeter, konstnärer, kompositörer och filmregissörer som uttryckt sin stora beundran för dess inspirerande kreativa kraft, däribland George Lucas, James Cameron, Richard Adams, Jim Morrison, Robert Bly och Martha Graham. Populära berättelser som Star Wars, Avatar, Matrix och Den långa flykten är moderna exempel på verk som inspirerats av Joseph Campbells bok.

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) var professor i mytologi och jämförande litteratur vid Sarah Lawrence College, New York. Han betraktade all världens myter som flera stämmor av samma sång. En myt var för honom en bärare av ett sant och viktigt budskap. Myten avslöjar tillvarons innersta väsen och vägleder människan genom livets olika faser.

Campbell skrev och redigerade ett tjugotal böcker, däribland The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), The Masks of God (fyra volymer 1959-68), The Mythic Image (1974) och The Historical Atlas of World Mythology (1983). Med tv-serien och boken The Power of Myth (1988) blev Campbell världsberömd som en humanistisk folkbildare.

The Masks of God is the summation of Joseph Campbell's lifelong study of the origins and function of myth. In this volume, Primitive Mythology, Campbell examines the primitive roots of spiritual beliefs among our ancient ancestors. Drawing on anthropology, archaeology and psychology Primitive Mythology confirms the fundamental unity of mankind (not only biologically but in shared spiritual history). As a whole, the landmark quartet The Masks of God traces mankind's history as a search for meaning through ideas, themes and quests of culture and religion.

The Masks of God is the summation of Joseph Campbell's lifelong study of the origins and function of myth. In this volume, Oriental Mythology, Campbell examines Eastern mythology as it developed in the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China and Japan. While Western religions dwell on good and evil, Eastern religions focus on the promise of eternal life. Oriental Mythology explores how Eastern religions came to manifest their varying modes of thought and expression.The Masks of God traces mankind's history as a search for meaning through ideas, themes and quests of culture and religion.

The Masks of God is the summation of Joseph Campbell's lifelong study of the origins and function of myth. In this volume, Occidental Mythology, Campbell examines the themes that underlie the art, worship and literature of the Western world. Occidental Mythology traces European consciousness from the Levantine earth-goddesses of the Bronze Age and the subsequent tribal invasions that shaped Judaic and Greek myth before examining the influence of Persia, Rome, Islam and Christian Europe on ancient beliefs. The Masks of God traces mankind's history as a search for meaning through ideas, themes and quests of culture and religion.

This volume explores the whole inner story of modern culture since the Dark Ages, treating modern man's unique position as the creator of his own mythology.

Joseph Campbell was the world's greatest authority on myth, his monumental four-volume The Masks of God is a definitive work on the subject, and in Myths to Live By he explores how these enduring myths still influence our daily lives and can provide personal meaning in our lives.Myths are a way of explaining the cosmos, the origin of life and Man's relationship with their environment; they play a cohesive role in society. Joseph Campbell analyses myth in psychoanalytic terms to reveal their essential qualities and to demonstrate how they continue to reflect human needs, providing reassurance even in today's world.Ranging from Zen koans and Indian aesthetics to walking on the moon, Joseph Campbell explores how myth and religion follow the same archetypes, which are not exclusive to any single race, religion or region. Campbell believed that all religion is a search for the same transcendent and fundamental spiritual truths. He shows how we must recognise the common denominators between differing myths and faiths and allow this knowledge to fulfil human potential everywhere.

Crossing the boundaries of time, region, and culture, universal myths have provided inspiration and guidance for countless generations—laying a foundation for the religious, social, and political heritage of nations and peoples since the beginning of time. Here is a rich and absorbing survey of the common myths that connect all cultures, Eastern and Western, from antiquity to the present day. With stunning power, the stuff of legend is explored in all its drama and magnificence. There are stories of gods and men—and legendary heroes from Zeus to King Arthur to the “Superman” of modern media; tales of heaven, earth, and the origins of man from Hindu, American Indian, and Western thought; and retellings of mythic quests and legendary lovers, from the epic wanderings of Odysseus to the tragedy of Tristram and Iseult and the Krishna marriage of Heaven and Earth. This extraordinary work, compiled and arranged by theme from stories of creation to tales of death and rebirth, examines and compares the world’s myths that have shaped our common past and continue to influence us still.

The description for this book, Philosophies of India, will be forthcoming.

Drawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In the retelling of these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings within their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of this assortment of myth.

Essays by Julius Baum, C. G. Jung, C. Kerenyi, Hans Leisegang, Paul Masson-Oursel, Fritz Meier, Jean de Menasce, Georges Nagel, Walter F. Otto, Max Pulver, Hugo Rahner, Paul Schmitt, and Walter Wili.

A paperback edition of Campbell's major study of the mythology of the world's high civilizations over five millennia. It includes nearly 450 illustrations. The text is the same as that of the 1974 edition. Mythologist Joseph Campbell was a masterful storyteller, able to weave tales from every corner of the world into compelling, even spellbinding, narratives. His interest in comparative mythology began in childhood, when the young Joe Campbell was taken to see Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at Madison Square Garden. He started writing articles on Native American mythology in high school, and the parallels between age-old myths and the mythic themes in literature and dreams became a lifelong preoccupation. Campbell's best-known work is The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), which became a New York Times paperback best-seller for Princeton in 1988 after Campbell's star turn on the Bill Moyers television program The Power of Myth. During his early years as a professor of comparative religion at Sarah Lawrence College, Campbell made the acquaintance of Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, a kindred spirit who introduced him to Paul and Mary Mellon, the founders of Bollingen Series.They chose Campbell's The Mythic Image as the culmination of the series, giving it the closing position--number one hundred. A lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced study of the mythology of the world's high civilizations, The Mythic Image received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review upon publication. Through the medium of visual art, the book explores the relation of dreams to myth and demonstrates the important differences between oriental and occidental interpretations of dreams and life.

Essays by Ernesto Buonaiuti, Friedrich Dessauer, C. G. Jung, Werner Kaegi, C. Kerenyi, Paul Masson-Oursel, Fritz Meier, Adolf Portmann, Max Pulver, Hugo Rahner, Erwin Schrodinger, and Walter Wili.

A landmark work that demystifies the rich tradition of Indian art, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization analyzes key motifs found in legend, myth, and folklore taken directly from the Sanskrit. It provides a comprehensive introduction to visual thinking and picture reading in Indian art and thought. Ultimately, the book shows that profound Hindu and Buddhist intuitions on the riddles of life and death are universally recognizable.

A Princeton Classics edition of an essential work of twentieth-century scholarship on India Since its first publication, Philosophies of India has been considered a monumental exploration of the foundations of Indian philosophy. Based on the copious notes of Indologist, linguist, and art historian Heinrich Zimmer, and edited by Joseph Campbell, this book is organized into three sections. “The Highest Good” looks at Eastern and Western thought and their convergence; “The Philosophies of Time” discusses the philosophies of success, pleasure, and duty; and “The Philosophies of Eternity” presents the fundamental concepts of Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Sankhya and yoga, and Tantra. This work examines such areas as the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhist Genesis, the Tantric presentation of divinity, the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation, and the symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and twilight language. It also delves into the Tantric teachings of the inner Zodiac and the fivefold ritual symbolism of passion. Appendices, a bibliography, and general and Sanskrit indexes are included.

A classic introduction to Indian art by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerIn this landmark study of Indian art and religion, Heinrich Zimmer offers a compelling introduction to the visual language of India’s sacred traditions. Featuring seventy illustrations and drawing directly from Sanskrit sources, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization explores the meanings of key motifs in myth, legend, and folklore. With clarity and insight, the book reveals how Hindu and Buddhist symbols express timeless human concerns in ways that resonate across cultures and eras.

A classic introduction to Indian art by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerIn this landmark study of Indian art and religion, Heinrich Zimmer offers a compelling introduction to the visual language of India’s sacred traditions. Featuring seventy illustrations and drawing directly from Sanskrit sources, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization explores the meanings of key motifs in myth, legend, and folklore. With clarity and insight, the book reveals how Hindu and Buddhist symbols express timeless human concerns in ways that resonate across cultures and eras.

A landmark account of Indian philosophy by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerPhilosophies of India is a landmark work on the foundations of Indian philosophy. Based on the copious notes of the great Indologist, linguist, and historian Heinrich Zimmer, and edited by Joseph Campbell, the book is organized into three sections. “The Highest Good” examines Eastern and Western thought, their convergence, and the foundations of Indian philosophy; “The Philosophies of Time” discusses the philosophies of success, pleasure, and duty; and “The Philosophies of Eternity” presents the fundamental concepts of Jainism, Sankhya and Yoga, Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Tantra. The subjects examined include the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhist Genesis, the Tantric presentation of divinity, the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation, and the symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and twilight language.

A landmark account of Indian philosophy by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerPhilosophies of India is a landmark work on the foundations of Indian philosophy. Based on the copious notes of the great Indologist, linguist, and historian Heinrich Zimmer, and edited by Joseph Campbell, the book is organized into three sections. “The Highest Good” examines Eastern and Western thought, their convergence, and the foundations of Indian philosophy; “The Philosophies of Time” discusses the philosophies of success, pleasure, and duty; and “The Philosophies of Eternity” presents the fundamental concepts of Jainism, Sankhya and Yoga, Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Tantra. The subjects examined include the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhist Genesis, the Tantric presentation of divinity, the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation, and the symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and twilight language.

A classic work of comparative mythology by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerDrawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In retelling these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings of their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of their myths.

A classic work of comparative mythology by acclaimed scholar Heinrich ZimmerDrawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In retelling these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings of their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of their myths.