The Grammar of God

May 11, 2015
In her first book, Kushner, who teaches writing at Columbia College in Chicago, reports on her travels through the Bible in English translation. Thoroughly modern, though steeped in Jewish tradition (including the traditional way of reading the biblical text, which typically yields multiple possible meanings), Kushner comes from a family where the Bible and biblical grammar are discussed in Hebrew at the dinner table; she therefore finds the tone of certainty of English-language bibles jarring. As she notes the many surprising differences between the two languages, Kushner muses on the necessity and dangers of translation. To address the drawbacks of translation, she refers in her account to the interplay of her project and the rhythm of her Judaism, and the surprising ways in which her reading of the English Bible intersect with her life. The result is an engaging combination of close textual analysis and autobiographical detail. Most likely to be illuminating to those unfamiliar with the Hebrew Bible, Kushner’s exercise nevertheless sheds light on both Hebrew and English Bibles, so those already familiar with the Hebrew text will also be interested. Agent: Mary Evans, Mary Evans Inc.

June 1, 2015
A freelancer debuts with a memoir/disquisition about the Hebrew Bible and the difficulties-linguistic and personal-that translators into English have faced. Kushner grew up speaking Hebrew in a scholarly family that often had intense discussions about the Bible and the intricacies of the Hebrew texts. While attending the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the author took a course in the Bible from Marilynne Robinson, a course to which Kushner brought a perspective and an intelligence that must have illuminated the room. With Robinson's encouragement, Kushner-after 10 years' labor-completed her text, which covers all sorts of autobiographical, historical, religious, and geographical ground. We learn about her girlhood, her family history (with some painful family stories from the Holocaust), her medical problems (her writing hand failed her; she severely injured a foot), her peripatetic lifestyle (and various jobs), and her relationships with assorted family members. There are some wrenching moments in Bremen, Germany, where she visited the former home of her grandfather, whose family faced the Holocaust. But Kushner is principally interested in the meanings and translations of key Biblical passages, and she pursues this interest with a fierce passion, collecting and reading and collating numerous English translations. She leads us into some dense discussions of particular passages-from the creation story to the Ten Commandments (a phrase, she tells us, that does not appear in the Hebrew) to Psalm 42 and others. At times, she considers her own belief-and disbelief-but never veers too far from her texts, organizing each section under headings like "Laughter" and "Law." A most patient tutor, she neither preaches nor exhorts but mostly tries to explain and to understand. Among her grimmest stories are those of the violent fates of some early translators. A paean, in a way, to the rigors and frustrations-and ultimate joys-of trying to comprehend the unfathomable.

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June 15, 2015

One of the challenges in translating the Hebrew Bible is accurately conveying the text's meaning. Kushner (creative writing, Columbia Coll. Chicago) was raised in a Hebrew-speaking family in New York City; family discussions often centered on interpreting the Hebrew Bible. This book addresses the author's experience in encountering English-language translations and struggling with the way in which they tend to lose the subtle nuances found in Hebrew vocabulary and grammar. She also uncovers passages that completely miss the essence of the text. Most of the chapters address a particular passage to illustrate this problem. Kushner further emphasizes that the explanation of scriptural texts is informed by the history of its interpretation, as expressed in the Talmud, as well as in specific communal contexts. Thus, the book largely is about her own experience and that of her family heritage, since these elements connect with her understanding of scripture. It is this interweaving of textual analysis and personal narratives that make the book both informative and intriguing. VERDICT A helpful work for those interested in the Jewish faith, the Hebrew Bible, or biblical hermeneutics.--John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.

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