A Literary Bible - by David Rosenberg (Paperback)

About the Book

Whether rendering the Bible as wondrous or as strangely familiar, David Rosenberg's magisterial translation forces us to ask again--and at last in literary terms--why the Bible remains a crucial foundation of our culture.
Until today, translators have presented a homogeneous Bible in uniform style--even as the various books within it were written by different authors, in diverse genres and periods, stretching over many centuries. Now, Rosenberg's artful translation restores what has been left aside: the essence of imaginative creation in the Bible.
In "A Literary Bible," Rosenberg presents for the first time a synthesis of the literary aspects of the Hebrew Bible--restoring a sense of the original authors and providing a literary revelation for the contemporary reader.
Rosenberg himself brings a finely tuned ear to the original text. His penetrating scholarship allows the reader to encounter inspired biblical prose and verse, and to experience each book as if it were written for our time.

Book Synopsis

A stunning new translation--"the best in a century, without a doubt"--of the Hebrew Bible that restores the creativity and poetry of the original text (New Republic).

Whether rendering the Bible as wondrous or as strangely familiar, David Rosenberg's "brilliant" and "truly fresh" translation forces us to ask again--and at last in literary terms--why the Bible remains a crucial foundation of our culture (Booklist).

Until today, translators have presented a homogeneous Bible in uniform style--even as the various books within it were written by different authors, in diverse genres and periods, stretching over many centuries. Now, Rosenbergs artful translation restores what has been left aside: the essence of imaginative creation in the Bible.

In A Literary Bible, Rosenberg presents for the first time a synthesis of the literary aspects of the Hebrew Bible--restoring a sense of the original authors and providing a literary revelation for the contemporary reader.

Rosenberg himself brings a finely tuned ear to the original text. His penetrating scholarship allows the reader to encounter inspired biblical prose and verse, and to experience each book as if it were written for our time.

Review Quotes

Praise for David Rosenberg

"Part of Rosenberg's task was to produce a style of translation that might fairly represent a rocky magnificence . . . as if it belonged to a distinct individual . . . and on his own terms Rosenberg makes it work. Yet he expressly does not want his characters to speak a plain, familiar modern English like, for instance, that of the New English Bible . . . He is looking for modern readings, free of the muddles introduced into the understanding of these works by academics and religious commentators of all descriptions, and recognizable as living speech. He must somehow be modern as well as faithful to the past, reproducing where necessary the ancient, strange, "uncanny" vigor of J, the primary author . . . and to bear in mind 'American poetry's struggle with natural speech.' On the whole it succeeds, and Rosenberg emerges with honor from his long wrestling match with an opponent who goes by the name of J."
--Frank Kermode, New York Times Book Review (Jan. 3, 2010)

"Rosenberg's new translation is as provocative and personal as ever . . . deeply poetic."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"A truly fresh reading of seminal scriptural texts."
--Booklist

Praise for The Book of J

"A great book . . . Rosenberg has produced a superb piece of translation." --Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Rosenberg's innovative translation . . . re-creates a tone of modulated ironic grandeur." --New Yorker

"David Rosenberg has given a fresh interpretative translation." --Washington Post Book World

"Surpassing originality." --New York Times

Praise for A Poet's Bible

"Rosenberg's translations from the Hebrew Bible are the best in the twentieth century without a doubt." --The Nation

About the Author

Biblical scholar and acclaimed poet David Rosenberg is the author of several noted books, including two that were chosen as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Rosenberg's translation of The Book of J, with commentary by Harold Bloom, was a national bestseller. He lives near the Florida Everglades.