Gore Vidal - Creation Instant

: The only thinker Spitama respects, viewing him as a practical "political animal" focused on social order rather than abstract mysticism.

Vidal utilizes Spitama’s role as an ambassador for Kings Darius and Xerxes to place him at the heart of the "Axial Age," a pivotal era where the world’s major philosophical and religious systems were being formed. During his travels, Spitama meets: Gore Vidal - Creation

: Encountered in India, he is portrayed as self-involved, with his concept of Nirvana dismissed as useless nihilism by the worldly Spitama. : The only thinker Spitama respects, viewing him

: Spitama views the Greeks as shifty, unhygienic barbarians living in a cultural backwater. : The only thinker Spitama respects