Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative

The Art of Biblical Narrative is a brilliant book. Originally published in 1981, it remains a seminal text on biblical narrative. Though it's author, Robert Alter, is not a follower of Jesus, but a Jew who rejects Jesus as Messiah and handles Scripture accordingly, Alter's 189 pages on the art of Old Testament narrative are pure treasure.If you'd like to better understand how biblical narrative works, if you'd like to better savor the artistry of the authors of Scripture, if you'd like to have the biblical stories come to new life, read Alter.I read this book concurrently with 1 Samuel and found the narratives of 1 Samuel charged with new insights and delight through the narrative world that Alter introduced me to.