Ishmael: A NovelOne of the most beloved and bestselling novels of spiritual adventure ever published, Ishmael has earned a passionate following. This special twenty-fifth anniversary edition features a new foreword and afterword by the author. “A thoughtful, fearlessly low-key novel about the role of our species on the planet . . . laid out for us with an originality and a clarity that few would deny.”—The New York Times Book Review Teacher Seeks Pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. It was just a three-line ad in the personals section, but it launched the adventure of a lifetime. So begins an utterly unique and captivating novel. It is the story of a man who embarks on a highly provocative intellectual adventure with a gorilla—a journey of the mind and spirit that changes forever the way he sees the world and humankind’s place in it. In Ishmael, which received the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship for the best work of fiction offering positive solutions to global problems, Daniel Quinn parses humanity’s origins and its relationship with nature, in search of an answer to this challenging question: How can we save the world from ourselves? Explore Daniel Quinn’s spiritual Ishmael trilogy: ISHMAEL • MY ISHMAEL • THE STORY OF B Praise for Ishmael “As suspenseful, inventive, and socially urgent as any fiction or nonfiction you are likely to read this or any other year.”—The Austin Chronicle “Before we’re halfway through this slim book . . . we’re in [Daniel Quinn’s] grip, we want Ishmael to teach us how to save the planet from ourselves. We want to change our lives.”—The Washington Post “Arthur Koestler, in an essay in which he wondered whether mankind would go the way of the dinosaur, formulated what he called the Dinosaur’s Prayer: ‘Lord, a little more time!’ Ishmael does its bit to answer that prayer and may just possibly have bought us all a little more time.”—Los Angeles Times |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Adam agricultural revolution animals asked Australopithecus become began beginning belonged Bushmen Bwana cage captive chimpanzees civilization competitors conquer and rule course creation creature Daniel Quinn deer destiny enacting a story evil exactly explain fact Fertile Crescent flight following this law gave give gods Goliath gorilla guess hands happen Hohokam Homo erectus Homo habilis Homo sapiens Homo sapiens sapiens human hundred hunter-gatherers increasing food production Ishmael nodded Ishmael shrugged jellyfish kill knew knowledge law of gravity laws of aerodynamics Leavers lion live look mean menagerie minutes Mother Culture says myth mythology never Okay original affluent society planet population premise prison prophets question rest rule the world seemed Semites Sokolow someone sort species suppose sure Takers talking tell there's things thought thousand years ago three million tion told tree True turn understand what's wombat wonder wrong