Robert Alter
Encyclopedia
Robert Bernard Alter is an American professor of Hebrew language
and comparative literature
at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he has taught since 1967.
, 1957), and his master's (1958) and doctorate degrees (1962) from Harvard University
in comparative literature. He started his career as a writer at Commentary Magazine, where he was for many years a contributing editor. Alter has written twenty-three books, and is noted most recently for his translations of sections of the Bible.
Alter lectures on topics varying from Biblical episodes to Kafka's modernism and Hebrew literature
. One of his important contributions is the introduction of the type scene
into contemporary scholarly Hebrew Bible
studies. An example of a type scene is that of a man meeting a young woman at a well, whom he goes on to marry; this scene occurs twice in Genesis and once in Exodus, and, according to Alter, distortedly in 1 Samuel.
Alter has served as an active member of the Council of Scholars of the Library of Congress
, and is currently president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics
. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1966 and 1978. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1986. He was a Senior Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities
, a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem, and Old Dominion Fellow at Princeton University
. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Jewish Review of Books
.
) for lifetime contribution to American letters.
Doctor of Humanities, Yale University
, 2010.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he has taught since 1967.
Biography
Robert Alter earned his bachelor's degree in English (Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, 1957), and his master's (1958) and doctorate degrees (1962) from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in comparative literature. He started his career as a writer at Commentary Magazine, where he was for many years a contributing editor. Alter has written twenty-three books, and is noted most recently for his translations of sections of the Bible.
Alter lectures on topics varying from Biblical episodes to Kafka's modernism and Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews...
. One of his important contributions is the introduction of the type scene
Type scene
A type scene is a literary convention employed by a narrator across a set of scenes, or related to scenes already familiar to the audience. The similarities with, and differences from, the established type are used to illuminate developments in plot and character...
into contemporary scholarly Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
studies. An example of a type scene is that of a man meeting a young woman at a well, whom he goes on to marry; this scene occurs twice in Genesis and once in Exodus, and, according to Alter, distortedly in 1 Samuel.
Alter has served as an active member of the Council of Scholars of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, and is currently president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics
Association of Literary Scholars and Critics
The Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers was organized in 1994 as the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics by a group of over 400 scholars troubled by what they saw as an over reliance on post-modern theory in the academy...
. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1966 and 1978. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1986. He was a Senior Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem, and Old Dominion Fellow at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Jewish Review of Books
Jewish Review of Books
The Jewish Review of Books is a quarterly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs from a Jewish perspective. It is published in New York City....
.
Awards
His book The Art of Biblical Narrative won the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
) for lifetime contribution to American letters.
Doctor of Humanities, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, 2010.
Selected works
- 1965 Rogue's progress: studies in the picaresque novel
- The Art of Biblical Narrative, 1981, Basic BooksBasic BooksBasic Books is a book publisher founded in 1952 and located in New York. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history.-History:...
, ISBN 0-465-00427-X - Motives for Fiction, 1984, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, ISBN 9780674587625 - The Art of Biblical Poetry, 1985, Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00431-8
- A Lion for Love: A Critical Biography of Stendhal, in collaboration with Carol Cosman, 1986, Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674535756
- The Literary Guide to the Bible Edited by Alter and Frank KermodeFrank KermodeSir John Frank Kermode was a highly regarded British literary critic best known for his seminal critical work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction, published in 1967 ....
, 1987, Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674875319 - The Invention of Hebrew Prose: Modern Fiction and the Language Revolution, 1988, University of Washington Press.
- Necessary Angels: Tradition and Modernity in Kafka, Benjamin, and Scholem, 1991, Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674606630
- The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1999, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-32077-4
- The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary, 2004, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-01955-1
- The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary, 2007, W.W. Norton, ISBN 978-0-393-06226-7
- The Book of Genesis, translation by Robert Alter, illustrated by R. Crumb, 2009, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0393061027
- Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible, 2010, Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
, ISBN 0691128812 - The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: A Translation with Commentary, 2010, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0393068129
External links
- CV on UCBerkeley's website
- Biography at Washington University in St. Louis
- The Five Books of Moses review at The New Yorker
- The Five Books of Moses review at The Washington Post
- http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/robert-alter8217s-fidelity-6The Five Books of Moses review by Alan JacobsAlan JacobsAlan Jacobs is an American film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists for Trimark Pictures, American Gun for Miramax Films and the independent feature Down for Life...
in First Things (Aug/Sept. 2005)] - The Book of Psalms review at The New Yorker
- Audio interview with Robert Alter
- Robert Alter's articles in the London Review of Books