Tom & Alissa

My review of Youth Without Youth, Francis Ford Coppola’s latest, is up at WORLD.

I never mentioned how Monday’s program at the 92nd Street Y was. Robert Alter read from his new translation of the Psalms (quite a stunning one, too), as did Marilynne Robinson, who was there as a theologian and writer. There were a few musical settings of his translations as well as two of the Psalms in Hebrew. Between readings, Alter and Robinson commented on them, both as translations, as poetry, and as prayer. Alter sought to recapture the sound and alliteration of the Hebrew Psalms in a greater way than previous English translations such as the KJV have. To me, it sounded a lot like a combination of the raw, personal voice of Peterson’s paraphrase, The Message, but not as a paraphrase, and with a stronger emphasis on poetry. As he pointed out, this book is, in literary terms, an anthology of ancient Hebrew poetry.

Marilynne Robinson is phenomenally articulate - she speaks as she writes - and their observations on the nature of the Psalms both as sacred texts and as ancient poetry were valuable - particularly as Robinson commented on the difference between the polytheistic view of the individual and God’s/the gods’ interest in the individual and that of the Hebrews. (For instance, in most ancient religions, many natural phenomena such as wind, fire, and flood was attributed to disputes between the gods - but in the Psalms, it’s clear that this is something God himself produces, and while it’s fearsome, it’s celebrated.) I hope a recording was made of the talk. I know it was telecast to two Jewish congregations, one in New Jersey and one in Wichita, Kansas. (The 92nd Street Y, if you’re unaware, is actually a YMHA - Young Men’s Hillel Association - so though much of their programming is not overtly religious in nature, there’s a strong Jewish undercurrent.)

Tonight is my office Christmas party (all I can think about are Christmas parties from The Office), and then we’re heading to a screening of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, which I’m fabulously excited about: it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2007, it’s Romanian, and it’s about illegal abortion at the end of the communist regime in Romania. Review forthcoming.

Also, we are seeing Sweeney Todd at midnight tomorrow night, because we are apparently nutty fans of slasher musicals and possibly only a little less insane than Sweeney himself. If I am awake at all on Friday, I’ll get my butt in gear and write a review as well.

Last night I carted two very heavy bags of Christmas presents that have been piling up in my office as the mail comes in, and locked myself in our tiny bathroom to wrap Tom’s presents. It was kind of acrobatic, and I very nearly had to stand on my head a few times to maneuver the paper properly, but it’s all good and now we have bags of wrapped gifts to bring to Albany.

I did make Tom open one of his presents early because it weighed about forty pounds. It was - what else? - the new Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace, which is lovely to look at. But I’m glad we don’t have to cart it up on the train.

Speaking of the train, we leave mid-morning on Saturday for Albany, to celebrate with my mom, my brother, a handful of aunts, uncles, and cousins, grandparents, and a healthy helping of Albany-based friends. We haven’t been home to visit since Sean graduated from high school in June, so this is very exciting. Also, they have snow. A white Christmas for the first time in a while.