Genesis, trans by Robert Alter

Masterful translation. I will simply have to look at the medieval Jewish commentaries the author referred to extensively [Rashi and ibn Ezra]. I appreciated his constant jabs at source criticism in favor of treating the work as a literary whole, even if it is a compilation from various sources. His comments also make me appreciate how much even a little knowledge of Hebrew would add depth to my own reading of the text. All too often a translator's comments on the work make it seem like the only thing one is missing is a couple boring nuances and variant readings, as though the text really were quite boring from a stylistic point of view and could be translated perfectly in English if only a couple of our words had slightly different meanings. Or are boring enough in the details of the philology that it is impossible to care about anything other than the translated text [which is often boring as well]. The only criticism, which is one I certainly would never level at him, is that it leaves bare the influences of the polytheistic milieu on the emerging Judaic monotheism rather than providing a reading through the lens of the Judaic or Christian tradition which appropriated the stories. I really don't care, I'm a bright kid and won't be scandalized. Just label it "not appropriate for liturgical use" and carry on. I'm looking forward to hunting down his translations of the Pentateuch and The David Story.