num_pages: 70
description: A treacherous river separates two lands. On one side is the Land of Good and Happiness, whose citizens know how to live life happily; on the other side, the Land of Evil and Woe, where a benighted people wallows in ignorance, unaware that it might greatly benefit from the enlightened civilization on the other side. One day a courageous swimmer from the Land of Good and Happiness embarks upon a dangerous journey to stretch a rope across the river to give the people on the other side a way out of their moral chaos and misery. What happens to the swimmer and how the recipients of the rope respond to his noble gesture make for a moving story. A good parable means many different things to different people. Is the swimmer a prophet or an embodiment of suffering heroes from mythology, such as Prometheus, Hercules, or Parsifal? However interpreted, Jeanne Shaffer and Howard Cruse's striking tale of timeless themes will sound a responsive chord in people from all backgrounds. Like figures on a Greek vase. Cruse's classically rendered figures in black lend poignancy and heroic grace to this challenging modern fable.
language: English
title: The Swimmer With a Rope in His Teeth
titlecomplete: The Swimmer With a Rope in His Teeth
ratings_count: 3
publisher: Prometheus Books