"We have no more beginnings," George Steiner begins in this, his most radical book to date. A far-reaching exploration of the idea of creation in Western thought, literature, religion, and history, this volume can fairly be called a magnum opus. He reflects on the different ways we have of talking about beginnings, on the "core-tiredness" that pervades our end-of-the-millennium spirit, and on the changing grammar of our discussions about the end of Western art and culture. With his well-known elegance of style and ...
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"We have no more beginnings," George Steiner begins in this, his most radical book to date. A far-reaching exploration of the idea of creation in Western thought, literature, religion, and history, this volume can fairly be called a magnum opus. He reflects on the different ways we have of talking about beginnings, on the "core-tiredness" that pervades our end-of-the-millennium spirit, and on the changing grammar of our discussions about the end of Western art and culture. With his well-known elegance of style and intellectual range, Steiner probes deeply into the driving forces of the human spirit and our perception of Western civilization's lengthening afternoon shadows. Roaming across topics as diverse as the Hebrew Bible, the history of science and mathematics, the ontology of Heidegger, and the poetry of Paul Celan, Steiner examines how the twentieth century has placed in doubt the rationale and credibility of a future tense-the existence of hope. Acknowledging that technology and science may have replaced art and literature as the driving forces in our culture, Steiner warns that this has not happened without a significant loss. The forces of technology and science alone fail to illuminate inevitable human questions regarding value, faith, and meaning. And yet it is difficult to believe that the story out of Genesis has ended, Steiner observes, and he concludes this masterful volume of reflections with an eloquent evocation of the endlessness of beginnings.
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Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $55.49, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 350 p. Yale Nota Bene. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $9.22, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $9.22, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $9.22, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $10.04, fair condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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Fair. Acceptable-This is a significantly damaged book. It should be considered a reading copy only. Please order this book only if you are interested in the content and not the condition. May be ex-library. PAPERBACK Standard-sized.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $10.99, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $12.00, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $13.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Grammars of Creation to cart. $42.00, new condition, Sold by Eighth Day Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wichita, KS, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Yale University Press.
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New. The dust jacket says this book might be considered Steiner's magnum opus, and we don't doubt it; trouble is, it seems that all of his books somehow merit that description. Which of them lacks his breadth of literary and philosophical awareness, his intuition of the preciousness of great literature, the precariousness of its existence, and even more our ability to worthily comprehend it? More, his horror in the face of the obscenity of those who did acknowledge and comprehend it and yet simultaneously created a vast machinery of destruction of an entire people in the century just past? All these concerns are here again, as Steiner turns to the possibility of hope in what he feels is the twilight of Western civilization. Surveying the impulse of creation in Homer and Virgil, in Shakespeare and Dante, Coleridge and Dostoevsky and Joyce and Celan, he stubbornly clings to that hope, that humane and transcendent values will not be smothered, either by the ''art'' of ''soiled sheets and bisected calves...[or] a Duchamp urinal, '' on the one hand, or by a seductive scientific technocracy on the other. This is a dense book, but is not of that density that results from a writer's love of baroque verbiage; rather, it arises from a soul of formidable brilliance thinking ever-more deeply on the issues close to his heart, and approaching that place where ''grammars'' must be stretched to express realities beyond words. 344 pp.
