Poets of the Bible

Willis Barnstone does a great service to letters and devotion by restoring scripture to its lucid, radiant humanity.--Peter Monaghan When the Sistine Chapel was restored in the 1980s and 1990s, the brilliant colors of Michelangelo's work shone forth anew. Something of the effect of this restoration may be felt in Willis Barnstone's verse rendering of 'the poets of the Bible, ' in which layers of 'pious' literalist interpretation (which is to say, prose translation) are scraped away to reveal--poetry! A book we thought we knew well appears, between these pages, as something entirely unfamiliar, and more wondrous for its strangeness.--Naomi Sheindel Seidman, Koret Professor of Jewish Culture, Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union Erudite, informed, and respectful. . . . What we have here is not merely fresh translations of the usual poetry most think of in the Bible but a fresh look at all of the Bible as essentially poetry, that is to say, language of a heightened, beautiful nature. [A]ccessible and often gorgeous. . . . Overall, this lovely and ecumenical volume beautifully illustrates Barnstone's overarching conviction that the Bible contains some of the world's greatest--and sometimes underappreciated--poetry. Highly recommended. [Barnstone's] translations allow familiar narratives to be heard in fresh ways. . . . Thoughtful selections, a visually arresting presentation, and intriguing translations make these collected poems a valuable addition to biblical literature. Poets of the Bible offers a fresh translation of biblical poetry, restoring Hebrew and Greek names that have been crusted-over in all earlier translations. His introductions to each poet contribute information based on his extensive publications about canonical and noncanonical Jewish and Christian texts.--William McCulloh, professor emeritus of classics, Kenyon College This lovely and ecumenical volume beautifully illustrates Barnstone's overarching conviction that the Bible contains some of the world's greatest - and sometimes underappreciated - poetry. Highly recommended.