Three Thousand Years of Hebrew Versification

“An original work of powerful analysis that is likely to remain the definitive study of this subject for the foreseeable future. . . . It is a book that anyone even marginally involved in Hebrew poetry would want to have on his or her bookshelf.”—Robert Alter, University of California, Berkeley

~Robert Alter

“With immense learning and concise powers of summary, Harshav explores metrical constraint in verse. Hebrew and Yiddish poetry from the Bible to the present are his focus, but he also introduces the formal conventions of all the Western national poetries.”—Paul H. Fry, Yale University

~Paul H. Fry

“With the art of a master story-teller and the analytical precision of a reference manual, this consummate cultural theorist unfolds the comparative cultural history of Hebrew and Yiddish verse forms from the Bible to the twentieth century. An immediate classic!”—Jerold C. Frakes, editor of Early Yiddish Texts

~Jerold C. Frakes

"Benjamin Harshav’s extraordinary book is the best available study of verse form, poetic metrics, and poetic rhythm, admirably applied to the unique wealth of Hebrew poetry.  A rigorous and friendly masterpiece authored by one of the most important contemporary specialists in poetics."—Thomas G. Pavel, Gordon J. Laing Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago

~Thomas G. Pavel

“Harshav's analyses are painstaking and precise, and the import of his discussions of the relations of metrics and rhythm, syntax, and semantics in a wide range of verse forms is far-reaching.  The author's knowledge of his material, in many languages, is vast . . . this is a major study.”—CHOICE

~H. I. Needler, CHOICE

“For more than six decades, Benjamin Harshav instructed readers in the operations of poetic technique, but he was always mindful of the subtle and  profound articulation of human experience it served. Three Thousand Years of Hebrew Versification is a vivid reminder of the precious legacy he has left us.”—Robert Alter, The Jewish Review of Books

~Robert Alter, The Jewish Review of Books