The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work

Written by Stuart L. Brown, the Foreword details Brown’s interest in Joseph Campbell and role in producing a biographical documentary film about Campbell’s life. The 1987 documentary The Hero’s Journey was eventually turned into the book. In 1972, Brown took time off work to complete a research project on homicide and came across Campbell’s work. Brown was particularly drawn to how Campbell drew together multiple disciplines in his theories: “Campbell was remarkably connecting the symbolic, psychological, spiritual, and artistic heritages of humanity in ways that an army of scientists since Darwin had been doing to understand biological patterns” (vii). Brown found Campbell’s work restorative and familiar.

Partnering with Greg Sparlin, Brown convinced the reluctant Campbell to agree to a television series about his work. Production was fraught with problems: Campbell was almost 80 and had experienced two bouts of pneumonia in six months. Brown felt an urgency to make Campbell’s lifelong work available to a wider audience. As he was editing the film, Brown felt an inner voice telling him to record Campbell’s lecture series, which ultimately became his last. Campbell’s lecture tour ran from 1982 to 1985.