Awards

• Winner of Northern California Book Award 2008

Overview

""You think you know these texts... until you read Alter, who reignites their beauty in bracing and unexpected ways."" —Malcolm Jones, Newsweek. A cornerstone of the scriptural canon, The Book of Psalms has been a source of solace and joy for countless readers over millennia. This timeless poetry is beautifully wrought by a scholar whose translation of The Five Books of Moses was hailed as a ""godsend"" by Seamus Heaney and a ""masterpiece"" by Robert Fagles. Alter's The Book of Psalms captures the simplicity, the physicality, and the coiled rhythmic power of the Hebrew, restoring the remarkable eloquence of these ancient poems. His learned and insightful commentary illuminates the obscurities of the text.

Full Product Details

9780393337044

Table of Contents

Reviews

""You think you know these texts ... until you read Alter, who reignites their beauty in bracing and unexpected ways."" -- Malcolm Jones - Newsweek ""Alter is musically and poetically sensitive... [He] takes us back to the essence of the meaning."" -- James Wood - The New Yorker ""A considerable achievement... Alter holds me to his darkly economical texts."" -- Harold Bloom - New York Review of Books ""Every reader of this translation will be led towards fresh thoughts and will discover favorites that inspire the imagination in new, rich ways."" -- Walter Brueggemann - Christian Century ""In his compelling and swiftly moving translations, Alter has thrust the reader back to the place where the monotheistic religions were born out of even more ancient beginnings."" -- Jewish Book World ""The achievement of this new translation is to present the Book of Psalms as a wonder of ancient literature."" -- The Tablet

You think you know these texts ... until you read Alter, who reignites their beauty in bracing and unexpected ways. -- Malcolm Jones Alter is musically and poetically sensitive... [He] takes us back to the essence of the meaning. -- James Wood A considerable achievement... Alter holds me to his darkly economical texts. -- Harold Bloom Every reader of this translation will be led towards fresh thoughts and will discover favorites that inspire the imagination in new, rich ways. -- Walter Brueggemann In his compelling and swiftly moving translations, Alter has thrust the reader back to the place where the monotheistic religions were born out of even more ancient beginnings. The achievement of this new translation is to present the Book of Psalms as a wonder of ancient literature.

The Book of Psalms stands out as a work of scholarship - Alter's commentary, however, is comprehensive and fascinating, and the undertaking wholly admirable. Nick Laird, The Telegraph Alter's translations are - extremely interesting and strikingly clear - and the commentary is fascinating. The Sunday Times Robert Alter's translation of the Psalms is an extraordinary work. James Wood, Books of the Year, The Times Literary Supplement A new English translation of the Book of Psalms retains the power of the original to inspire and reassure believer and skeptic alike. The Jerusalem Report

You think you know these texts ... until you read Alter, who reignites their beauty in bracing and unexpected ways. -- Malcolm Jones - Newsweek Alter is musically and poetically sensitive... [He] takes us back to the essence of the meaning. -- James Wood - The New Yorker A considerable achievement... Alter holds me to his darkly economical texts. -- Harold Bloom - New York Review of Books Every reader of this translation will be led towards fresh thoughts and will discover favorites that inspire the imagination in new, rich ways. -- Walter Brueggemann - Christian Century In his compelling and swiftly moving translations, Alter has thrust the reader back to the place where the monotheistic religions were born out of even more ancient beginnings. -- Jewish Book World The achievement of this new translation is to present the Book of Psalms as a wonder of ancient literature. -- The Tablet

Author Information

Robert Alter is the Class of 1937 Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available