Creation (novel)
Encyclopedia
Creation is an epic historical fiction
novel
by Gore Vidal
which was published in 1981. In 2002, he published a restored version, adding four chapters that a previous editor had cut. He also added a brief 2002 foreword explaining what had happened to the book in its original version and why he restored the cut chapters.
diplomat of the 5th century BC who travels the known world comparing the political and religious beliefs of various nation states of the time. Over the course of his life, he meets many influential philosophical figures of his time, including Zoroaster
, Socrates
, the Buddha
, Mahavira
, Lao Tsu, and Confucius
.
Cyrus, who is the grandson of Zoroaster and who survives his murder, grows up at the Achaemenid court as a quasi-noble, and becomes a close friend of his schoolmate Xerxes. Because of Cyrus' talent for languages, the Achaemenid King, Darius I, sends him as an ambassador to certain kingdoms in India
, but Cyrus is more interested in the many religious theories he encounters there than in establishing profitable trade relations for Darius. After coming to power, Cyrus' former schoolmate, now King Xerxes I, sends Cyrus to China
, where he spends several years as a captive and "honored guest" in one of the warring states of the Middle Kingdom, and spends a great deal of time with Confucius. Upon returning home, Cyrus witnesses the defeat of Xerxes and the end of the Greco-Persian wars
. Cyrus then goes into retirement, but is called upon by Xeres' successor, Artaxerxes I, to serve as ambassador to Athens
and witness to the secret peace treaty between Pericles
and himself.
The story is related in the first person as recalled to his Greek great-nephew Democritus
. Cyrus recollection is said to be motivated in part by his desire to set the record straight following the publication by Herodotus
of an account of the Greco-Persian wars.
had previously explored, a skepticism of the reported facts and interpretations of our understanding of History
as reported by the winners of its battles. The story features a rather amusingly sarcastic treatment of the pretensions of the glory of Classical Golden Age of Athens
. In the parts of the book that comment on history, Vidal makes obvious use of the Histories
of Herodotus
.
As noted in Vidal's own introduction, it can be considered a "crash course" in comparative religion
, as during the story, the hero sits down with each of the religious/philosophical figures (apart from Socrates) and discusses their views.
. In Vidal's story, Darius is portrayed as a usurper who murdered King Cambyses
and stole the throne from the rightful heir, Prince Smerdis, in collusion with Queen Atossa
. This account of Darius's ascension is subject to some historical dispute outside of the novel.
There is also a lot of speculation about the identity of the character in the court of Ch'in known only as Huan, Whether he is a reference to the later Legalist Prime minister of Ch'in, Shang Yang or some other unknown historical figure. The figure usually given credit for the founding Legalism, Han Feizi was born much later than the book is set.
Vidal's fictional protagonist, "Cyrus Spitama" is portrayed as the grandson of Zoroaster, and a contemporary of Xerxes - which would have made Zoroaster a contemporary of Cyrus the Great
or even Cambyses
. However, most historians today believed that Zoroaster lived centuries before any of the Achaemenid kings. It is also unusual that Cyrus Spitama (who bears the same surname as Zoroaster) was an ambassador and a nobleman rather than a priest - the Zoroastrian priesthood was hereditary, and anyone bearing the Spitama name would be in high demand as a guardian of a fire temple. This issue is however dealt with throughout the novel, explained by the character's own attitudes and decisions. In reality, there is no record of Zoroaster's family having survived into the Achaemenid era. The central character, Cyrus Spitama, is intentionally a fictional construct and not based on a real historical figure.
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
which was published in 1981. In 2002, he published a restored version, adding four chapters that a previous editor had cut. He also added a brief 2002 foreword explaining what had happened to the book in its original version and why he restored the cut chapters.
Plot summary
The story follows the adventures of a fictional "Cyrus Spitama", an Achaemenid PersianAchaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
diplomat of the 5th century BC who travels the known world comparing the political and religious beliefs of various nation states of the time. Over the course of his life, he meets many influential philosophical figures of his time, including Zoroaster
Zoroaster
Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
, Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
, the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
, Lao Tsu, and Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
.
Cyrus, who is the grandson of Zoroaster and who survives his murder, grows up at the Achaemenid court as a quasi-noble, and becomes a close friend of his schoolmate Xerxes. Because of Cyrus' talent for languages, the Achaemenid King, Darius I, sends him as an ambassador to certain kingdoms in India
Mahajanapadas
Mahājanapadas , literally "great realms", were ancient Indian kingdoms or countries...
, but Cyrus is more interested in the many religious theories he encounters there than in establishing profitable trade relations for Darius. After coming to power, Cyrus' former schoolmate, now King Xerxes I, sends Cyrus to China
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
, where he spends several years as a captive and "honored guest" in one of the warring states of the Middle Kingdom, and spends a great deal of time with Confucius. Upon returning home, Cyrus witnesses the defeat of Xerxes and the end of the Greco-Persian wars
Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and city-states of the Hellenic world that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when Cyrus...
. Cyrus then goes into retirement, but is called upon by Xeres' successor, Artaxerxes I, to serve as ambassador to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and witness to the secret peace treaty between Pericles
Pericles
Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars...
and himself.
The story is related in the first person as recalled to his Greek great-nephew Democritus
Democritus
Democritus was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. He was an influential pre-Socratic philosopher and pupil of Leucippus, who formulated an atomic theory for the cosmos....
. Cyrus recollection is said to be motivated in part by his desire to set the record straight following the publication by Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
of an account of the Greco-Persian wars.
Major themes
Vidal evokes a theme which Robert GravesRobert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
had previously explored, a skepticism of the reported facts and interpretations of our understanding of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
as reported by the winners of its battles. The story features a rather amusingly sarcastic treatment of the pretensions of the glory of Classical Golden Age of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. In the parts of the book that comment on history, Vidal makes obvious use of the Histories
Histories (Herodotus)
The Histories of Herodotus is considered one of the seminal works of history in Western literature. Written from the 450s to the 420s BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that...
of Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
.
As noted in Vidal's own introduction, it can be considered a "crash course" in comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
, as during the story, the hero sits down with each of the religious/philosophical figures (apart from Socrates) and discusses their views.
Historical significance & criticism
The era which Vidal covers in this novel has been referred to by some historians as the Axial AgeAxial Age
German philosopher Karl Jaspers coined the term the axial age or axial period to describe the period from 800 to 200 BC, during which, according to Jaspers, similar revolutionary thinking appeared in India, China and the Occident...
. In Vidal's story, Darius is portrayed as a usurper who murdered King Cambyses
Cambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II son of Cyrus the Great , was a king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Cambyses's grandfather was Cambyses I, king of Anshan. Following Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Near East and Central Asia, Cambyses II further expanded the empire into Egypt during the Late Period by defeating...
and stole the throne from the rightful heir, Prince Smerdis, in collusion with Queen Atossa
Atossa
Atossa was an Achaemenid queen and daughter of Cyrus the Great and his wife, Cassandane...
. This account of Darius's ascension is subject to some historical dispute outside of the novel.
There is also a lot of speculation about the identity of the character in the court of Ch'in known only as Huan, Whether he is a reference to the later Legalist Prime minister of Ch'in, Shang Yang or some other unknown historical figure. The figure usually given credit for the founding Legalism, Han Feizi was born much later than the book is set.
Vidal's fictional protagonist, "Cyrus Spitama" is portrayed as the grandson of Zoroaster, and a contemporary of Xerxes - which would have made Zoroaster a contemporary of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
or even Cambyses
Cambyses
Cambyses can refer to two ancient rulers and two plays:-*Cambyses I, King of Anshan 600 to 559 BCE*Cambyses II, King of Persia 530 to 522 BCE*Cambyses, a tragedy by Thomas Preston...
. However, most historians today believed that Zoroaster lived centuries before any of the Achaemenid kings. It is also unusual that Cyrus Spitama (who bears the same surname as Zoroaster) was an ambassador and a nobleman rather than a priest - the Zoroastrian priesthood was hereditary, and anyone bearing the Spitama name would be in high demand as a guardian of a fire temple. This issue is however dealt with throughout the novel, explained by the character's own attitudes and decisions. In reality, there is no record of Zoroaster's family having survived into the Achaemenid era. The central character, Cyrus Spitama, is intentionally a fictional construct and not based on a real historical figure.