Ishmael (Quinn novel)

Ishmael

First edition
Author	Daniel Quinn
Language	English
Genre	Philosophical novel, secret history, magic realism
Publisher	Bantam/Turner Books
Publication date	1992
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	266 p.
ISBN	0-553-07875-5
OCLC	24068428
Followed by	The Story of B

Ishmael is a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn. The novel examines the hidden cultural biases driving modern civilization and explores themes of ethics, sustainability, and global catastrophe. Largely framed as a Socratic conversation between two characters,^[1] Ishmael aims to expose that several widely accepted assumptions of modern society, such as human supremacy, are actually cultural myths that produce catastrophic consequences for humankind and the environment. The novel was awarded the $500,000 Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991, a year before its formal publication.^[2]

Ishmael is part of a loose trilogy that includes a 1996 spiritual sequel, The Story of B, and a 1997 "sidequel," My Ishmael. Quinn also details how he arrived at the ideas behind Ishmael in his 1994 autobiography, Providence: The Story of a Fifty-Year Vision Quest. Yet another related book is Quinn's 1999 short treatise, Beyond Civilization.