Prof. Robert Alter, noted for his translation of the Hebrew Bible among his more than 20 books of criticism, translation, and commentary, will present two lectures about the Hebrew Bible for the 45th Ryterband Symposium in Judaic Studies, at Wright State University, Wednesday, March 26.

At 4 p.m., he’ll discuss How to Read Biblical Narratives; his 7 p.m. lecture will be The Challenge of Translating the Bible.

Both sessions will be held in Discovery Room 163 at the Student Union and are free and open to the public.

Wright State Religion Prof. Mark Verman, who facilitates the annual Ryterband Symposium, describes Alter as one of the most widely renowned literary critics in the United States.

“His exquisite translations of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), accompanied by illuminating commentaries, capture both the artistry and intricacies of the original Hebrew Scriptures.”

Alter is a professor in the graduate school and Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967.

He has written extensively on literary aspects of the Bible, the European novel, contemporary American fiction, and modern Hebrew literature. His publications include The World of Biblical Literature (1992), Imagined Cities: Urban Experience and the Language of the Novel (2005), The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (2007), Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible (2010), The Art of Biblical Poetry (1985), and The Art of Biblical Narrative (1981), which won the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought.

The Ryterband Symposium is a collaboration of Wright State University, the University of Dayton, and United Theological Seminary.

Parking at Wright State is available at the visitor lot across from the Student Union. For more information, contact Verman at mark.verman@wright.edu.

To read the complete March 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.