The Art of Biblical Narrative

by Robert Alter

Publisher:

Basic Books

, 2011

From celebrated translator of the Hebrew Bible Robert Alter, the "groundbreaking" (Los Angeles Times) book that explores the Bible as literature, a winner of the National Jewish Book Award.

Renowned critic and translator Robert Alter's The Art of Biblical Narrative has radically expanded our view of the Bible by recasting it as a work of literary art deserving studied criticism. In this seminal work, Alter describes how the Hebrew Bible's many authors used innovative literary styles and devices such as parallelism, contrastive dialogue, and narrative tempo to tell one of the most revolutionary stories of all time: the revelation of a single God. In so doing, Alter shows, these writers reshaped not only history, but also the art of storytelling itself.

Praise for The Art of Biblical Narrative

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought

"A groundbreaking study that encourages us to look beneath the theological surface of the biblical text to glimpse its beating heart."—Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

"[An] admirable book....It is truly extraordinary that such familiar tales as those of Joseph and David should acquire so much detail and color, as if perfectly restored."—New York Times

"The results of [Alter's] work give the Bible a fresh voice for a new generation of readers."—Christian Science Monitor

"This clearly written book should please anyone interested in the fundamentals of storytelling."—The Washington Post

"In its day, “The Art of Biblical Narrative” was subversive. … The book was — and remains — a surprise hit; it opened up an old, mysterious and often maligned text for the first time to many readers. And though academic critics have argued with Alter’s approach, they have never been able to ignore it."
 —New York Times

Product Details

• Title: The Art of Biblical Narrative
• Author: Robert Alter
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780465025558, 9780465004249, 0465004245, 0465025552
• Resource ID: LLS:9780465025558
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-09T15:13:17Z

About Robert Alter

Robert Alter is professor of the Graduate School and emeritus professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His many books include The Pleasures of Reading in an Ideological Age, Imagined Cities: Urban Experience and the Language of the Novel, and Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible (Princeton). He lives in Berkeley, California.