Oracolul nopții

Sidarta Ribeiro asks why we dream. He looks at how dreams shape our lives. He studies the fears and wishes they express. In dreams, we may meet strange beings. We may meet loved ones who have died. We may gain powers we lack when awake.

This nonfiction book looks at dream science and history. Some ancient groups used dreams to guide their politics. They also used dreams to learn about themselves. The book looks at Indigenous American accounts of dreams that foretold events. Some have doubted that dreams exist at all. Others have designed tools to record dreams to watch later. Ribeiro traces these views. He asks how sleep and dreams link to learning.

Ribeiro is a neuroscientist who studies the brain. He draws on brain science, biochemistry and psychology. He uses history, anthropology, psychoanalysis and literature too. The book suits readers drawn to dream research. It also suits those drawn to dreams' cultural roots.

He looks at lucid dreams as a space for love. They offer scope for adventure and imagined travel too. They may let us practise risky acts without real danger. Dream themes recur across cultures. Do these stem from shared human lives, not inborn patterns? Ribeiro asks this question. These themes include parents, wise elders, creation and floods. They include birth, puberty, sex and parenthood too. Conflict, illness and death also recur.

Walter Fotescu translated this edition from English. It forms part of the Psi series.