Predicting the future involves omens, premonitions, insights, and disappointments. Is it impossible, or is it a real phenomenon capable of surprising and upsetting us? Successful forecasting has been attributed to classical divinities, heroines of Greek tragedy, fortune-tellers of ancient Chinese dynasties, sages of traditional Indian wisdom, visionaries of ancient and contemporary Israel, but even personalities drawn from recent history or even our daily life. This book examines these enigmatic practitioners of divinatory feats and mysterious encounters with the inexplicable. Of course, the world is full of impostors, and our disenchanted age is accustomed to facing destiny without great expectations. But even when a single prophecy comes true, we cannot help but ask: was it just a coincidence, or a manifestation of some unfathomable dimension of the human soul?

Giulio Busi – an expert in Hebrew mysticism and Renaissance history – teaches Jewish Studies at the Freie Universität in Berlin.

Brazilian rights under negotiation.

French rights sold.