A stunning and original interpretation of an ancient system of poetic, religious, and philosophical thought.
Susan Brind Morrow studied classics, Arabic, and Egyptology at Columbia University. She has lived and traveled extensively in Egypt and Sudan, working as an archaeologist and as a Guggenheim Foundation fellow studying natural history, language, and the uses of poetry. Her first book, The Names of Things: A Passage in the Egyptian Desert, was a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir in 1998. She is also the author of Wolves andHoney: A Hidden History of the Natural World
"In this exciting book, Morrow . . . provides a radical new
translation and a line-by-line exegesis." --The New Yorker "With a
brilliant combination of literary criticism, cultural history, and
linguistic expertise, archaeologist Morrow . . . provides a
dazzling new translation of the hieroglyphs of the pyramid of Unis
(built in 2323 B.C.E.) as well as a detailed and thoughtful guide
to interpreting hieroglyphs and understanding the culture that
produced them. . . . Most translations misinterpret the Pyramid
Texts to be the stories of animals and gods, but Morrow's
translation and interpretation reveal them to be the story of the
invention of time and an examination of the ways in which humanity
is deeply embedded in the cosmic." --Publishers Weekly "An erudite
investigation that rewards patient, careful reading." --Kirkus
Reviews "With the skill of a scholar and the sensibility of a poet,
Susan Morrow opens the language of hieroglyphs."
--Elaine Pagels, author of The Gnostic Gospels "Susan Brind Morrow
has given us a work of sublime intelligence and importance in which
she manages with kindness and courtesy to explode the old myths of
the Pyramid Texts, revealing a cascade of new and hitherto-unknown
truths about the wisdom of the Egyptian ancients. The Dawning Moon
of the Mind is beautifully and wisely crafted--a treasure-house of
secrets that is a perfect joy to read."
--Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman: A Tale
of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English
Dictionary "Bringing a much-needed poetic and visual sensitivity to
the Pyramid Texts, Susan Brind Morrow shows that they are indeed
deeply visual and poetic in their language, and she makes a
compelling case that they need reinterpretation. The author's deep
knowledge of Egypt and affection for the land, along with her
long-time immersion in Arabic, give The Dawning Moon of the Mind a
remarkable range and immediacy."
--Roger Bagnall, Leon Levy Director, Institute for the study of the
Ancient World, New York University "This is a profound and
profoundly inspiring book, a work of the scholarly heart, the
feeling mind."
--Verlyn Klinkenborg, author of The Rural Life
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