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Book Overview
"If Mr. Mitchell gives an eloquent account of the effects of Job's poetry in his introduction, in the translation itself he does even better: he makes those effects come alive. Writing with three insistent beats to the line, and hammering home a succession of boldly defined images, he achieves a rare degree of vehemence and concentration." -- John Cross, New York Times
The Book of Job pulses with moral energy, outrage, and spiritual insight; it is nothing less than human suffering and the transcendence of it.
Now, The Book of Job has been translated into English by the eminent translator and scholar Stephen Mitchell, whose versions of Rilke, Israeli poetry, and the Tao Te Ching have been widely praised. This is the first time ever that the Hebrew verse of Job has been translated into verse in any language, ancient or modern, and the result is a triumph.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsAll right, I'll give it five stars
. . . even though I'd like to deduct a star for its omissions. As with so much of Stephen Mitchell's work, it's easy to pick on him for what he's decided to leave out. Here, his translation of Job omits the hymn in praise of Wisdom and the speech (in fact the entire presence) of the young man Elihu. I tend to disagree with his reasons for skipping them (yes, yes, I know some scholars regard them as later additions). But having...
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Rated 5 starsA Brilliant Glowing Book
I first read the Book of Job in the New King James translation. That was a truly amazing event--I felt that somehow I had experienced what Job had, and that I was learned the same painful lessons that Job had. Great poems can do that.I'm sure if I had read this version, it would have had the same effect.Job essentially worships an idol. He worships an orderly God who runs an orderly, boring universe where the good get rewarded...
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Rated 5 starsThis Story is Timeless
While Mitchell's own translation of the Book of Job is the central text of this book, I find the author's commentary to be of greatest value. Mitchell offers interpretations that transcend the limited notions proposed by Christianity. While a spirituality of piety predisposes one to read the prose and poetry of the bible in a certain way, Mitchell's eclectic and soaring viewpoint allows a perspective that encompasses the greater...
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Rated 4 starsA clear and easy to understand rendition of the Book of Job.
The author gives his personal English rendition for the story of Job. He stays away from the literal translation of the Hebrew text. The book is an easy to read and easy to understand poem. Included are a few informative notes that I injoyed reading. I would liked to have seen the book include the Hebrew text in a linear fashion, so it would be easy to know when the author took poetical license in his translation.
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Rated 5 starsRead Mitchell for color and intensity, not accuracy
Having just finished producing a staging of Mitchell's translation of the Book of Job, I can vouch for his superior translation of the intensity, color, and tempo of the book. His words are strong (sometimes stronger than the Hebrew), and his consistent three-beat-per-stress treatment lends audible poetic unity to a book that, in many translations, can seem a verbal mush. His essay isuseful for its esoteric parallels, and...
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