To read the books of the Former Prophets in this riveting Robert
Alter translation is to discover an entertaining amalgam of
hair-raising action and high literary achievement. Samson, the
vigilante superhero of Judges, slaughters thousands of Philistines
with the jawbone of a donkey. David, the Machiavellian prince of
Samuel and Kings, is one of the great literary figures of
antiquity. A ruthless monarch, David embodies a life in full
dimension as it moves from brilliant youth through vigorous prime
to failing old age.
Samson and David play emblematic roles in the rise and fall of
ancient Israel, a nation beset by internal divisions and external
threats. A scattering of contentious desert tribes joined by faith
in a special covenant with God, Israel emerges through the bloody
massacres of Canaanite populations recounted in Joshua and the
anarchic violence of Judges. The resourceful David consolidates
national power, but it is power rooted in conspiracy, and David
dies bitterly isolated in his court, surrounded by enemies. His
successor, Solomon, maintains national unity through his legendary
wisdom, wealth, and grand public vision, but after his death Israel
succumbs to internal discord and foreign conquest. Near its end,
the saga of ancient Israel returns to the supernatural. In Elijah s
fiery ascent to heaven many would find the harbinger of a messiah
coming to save his people in their time of need."
General
Imprint: |
W W Norton & Co Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2014 |
First published: |
April 2014 |
Authors: |
Robert Alter
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 157 x 38mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
880 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-393-34876-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-393-34876-8 |
Barcode: |
9780393348767 |
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