Product Description

Using the themes of Joseph Campbell's own 'Hero with a Thousand Faces' including 'The Call to Adventure', 'The Vision Quest', the great cycle of the hero's journey and ' The Return', this lyrical and masterfully crafted book follows the path of Campbell's lifelong investigation into the world of mythology. Autobiographical in its nature, this volume is the collection of a series of exclusive interviews, in which Campbell tells his own story, from his Catholic upbringing and early interest in Native American culture, through Paris in the 1920's, and into the world of such modern myth makers such as George Lucas. In dealing with the essence of human nature through the ages and its struggle with the deep, imponderable 'truths' that still mystify us, Campbell shows that these questions are answered in every culture by mythic tales, the human way of making sense of the world. Through his lectures and conversations with such figures as poet Robert Bly, Native American author Jamake Highwater, and anthropologist Angeles Arrien, Campbell reflects on subjects ranging from the origins and functions of myth, the role of the artist, and the need for ritual, to the ordeals of love and romance. Illustrated throughout with photographs from Joseph Campbell's family archive, The Hero's Journey introduces us first-hand to Joseph Campbell the man, his discoveries, his terminology, and his thinking.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1365312 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 258 pages

Amazon.com Review
The man behind the myth is lovingly revealed in this collection of interviews with the late Joseph Campbell. Using Campbell's format for the "hero's journey," editor Phil Cousineau organized these interviews so that they reflect Campbell's own chronological life quest. He begins with "The Call to Adventure," in which Campbell speaks to his fascination with Native American myth as a child, and moves through "The Road of Trials" (his years in college and as a young professor at Sarah Lawrence) and the "Meeting with the Goddess" (referring to meeting his wife of 50 years, the modern dancer Jean Erdman). Since most of the book is written in a question and answer format (with a few excerpts from lectures), much of the text is in Campbell's own words. It is a feast for any fan to hear Campbell speak so personally about his own life while also imparting his usual insight and wisdom on every topic he discusses.

A few morsels of this feast can be found in the following tidbits: for example, readers may be surprised to discover that Campbell considered his half-mile track races in college to be the "peak" experiences of his life. (Campbell was an esteemed track star at Columbia University in the mid-1920s.) Or that it was the famous Paris-dweller and bookseller Sylvia Beach who helped Campbell understand the meaning behind Ulysses in 1928 and was influential in steering Campbell into the realm of mythology and heroes. Or that Campbell believed that his uncanny ability to relate myths to contemporary life came from teaching female students at Sarah Lawrence. "They always wanted the material to relate to themselves, to life," he explained to interviewer Stuart Brown. "I attribute the popular aspects of my writing to the training I got from these students." Or that The Hero with a Thousand Faces inspired numerous artists, including George Lucas of Star Wars fame and Richard Adams, author of Watership Down.

This is also a generously illustrated book, with numerous photos of Campbell, many of which are shown in their authentic sepia tones. Numerous full-color images of famous artwork and images speak to each mythological theme in the book, such as the "Death of Socrates" (Jacques Louis David, 1787) and the painting of "Sacred and Profane" (Titan, circa 1514). --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Joseph Campbell's books on comparative myth and religion will enjoy this amalgam of interviews, speeches and conversations, a spin-off of a film documentary of the same title produced by Cousineau. A spiritual autobiography of sorts, the book ranges widely, from Cro-Magnon art to Arthurian legend to marriage as a "sacrificial field," as it follows Campbell from his Catholic boyhood and early interest in American Indians to his years in Paris and Munich, through his travels and teaching at Sarah Lawrence. We watch as he discusses poetry with Robert Bly and meets Jung, who explains to him the meaning of the Hindu syllable "Om." Campbell's comments are quotable: "If marriage isn't a first priority in your life, you're not married." His prompting to "follow your bliss" here takes on the meaning of working out one's inner myths to gain a sense of direction. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Another book of interviews with Joseph Campbell? Does this one add anything to what we already know about him and his work? Yes, it does. This book seems more "personal" because it includes excerpts from conversations and interviews by long-time Campbell intimates, including his wife, who knew what questions to ask to get Campbell to tell stories from his own life. These stories reveal how his sense of the oneness of mythology began and grew over the course of his long and event-filled life journey. As we read them, we experience the warm human presence of a man who spent his life learning from others as well as teaching. Recommended.
- Lucy Patrick, Florida State Univ., Tallahassee
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful collection
Each chapter of this book begins with a biographical narrative, followed by excerpts from myriad interviews with Campbell, organized in such a way that the interview topics follow the biographical line of the book. Jean Erdman, Stuart Brown, Phil Cousineau, Robert Bly, John Densmore and many more appear in the interviews with Campbell. The book also contains a complete timeline of Campbell's life and a list of books written or edited by Campbell.

Note that this is a collection and is not as comprehensive a biography as 'A Fire In The Mind.' But what it misses in magnitude and detail, it makes up for in presentation. The book lends itself to both the page-through and in-depth readers. It is full of photographs (some full page)and highlights many of Campbell's memorable quotes.

In a beautifully written introduction, Phil Cousineau refers to Campbell as the "ecstatic scholar", an "animateur" who was capable of evoking "the telling shiver of truth about your own life." This book re-animates Campbell's work and he is capable as ever, through the interviews on these pages, of speaking to the heart of his listeners and reawakening the mysteries of life with enthusiasm and awe.

(I do also recommend 'A Fire In The Mind,' which contains details of Campbell's life and excerpts from his personal journals that are not included in this work.)

Stuck with a metaphor
For those who once bemoaned there being no autobiography by (or biography of) Joseph Campbell this book fills a void. For those who have watched The Power of Myth videos, and read several Joseph Campbell books, this collection of high-power dialogues with Campbell is no disappointment. No intimate details are given of Campbell's life, however, When asked for autobiographical details during one session, Campbell responds (more or less): "That's biography, and I don't do biography". Campbell relays several anecdotes of his friends Robinson and Zimmer, and gives honorable mention to the Bollingen Press and Sarah Lawrence College for crucial assistance in his career development. Particularly of interest are the frequent remarks concerning, and discussions with, his wife (and former student) Jean Erdman. While many of Campbell's remarks are near-verbatim replies heard in The Power of Myth videos, some are unreleased gems: There are two kinds of people in this world - those who know their myth is a fact (the orthodox religious) and those who know their myth is a lie (the atheists)- both KNOW that their myth is most certainly NOT a metaphor.

Good book.

Joyful and Inspiring
Those are the only words I can think of to describe this fabulous book! Not only do you get a picture of Campbell the man in a way you can't elsewhere, except maybe in the diaries of his Asian trips, but you also get a wonderful insight into the mythology that was his life's work. It's like being able to look through both sides of a lens at once!

There are lovely pictures of Campbell, his friends and family that are literally breathtaking--they are part of that lens.

The book itself is made up of a series of conversations and panel discussions involving Campbell and a number of his friends and colleagues--including his wife, choreographer Jean Erdman and artists like George Lucas, Robert Bly and Richard Adams. It is structured so that it follows Campbell's life story in the shape of his Hero Journey, as laid out in Hero with a Thousand Faces.

The cover announces this as the Centennial Edition, which alerted me to the fact that Campbell would have been 100 this upcoming March. What a wonderful way to celebrate the life of a man whose joy (bliss) has inspired so many, and to take more inspiration from his ideas.