The Kingly Crown

“This edition of The Kingly Crown, featuring Bernard Lewis’ translation and Andrew Gluck’s intoduction and commentary, is a superb piece of work. It would be difficult to find a more literate translator than Lewis, and Gluck’s contributions are both knowledgeable and eminently readable.” —David B. Burrell, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame

“The Kingly Crown, one of the gems of Sephardic liturgy for the High Holidays, is the jewel in the crown of Solomon ibn Gabirol’s religious poetry. Bernard Lewis’ elegant and lively translation reflects the poetic beauty and grandeur of the Hebrew original as does no other translation I know. Andrew Gluck combines Bernard Lewis’ peerless translation with a meticulous scholarly edition of the Hebrew text, adding his own introduction and commentary. He offers a comprehensive survey of the medieval philosophical and mystical environment that constituted the backdrop of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophy and religious poetry. This volume is a substantial contribution to the understanding and appreciation of The Kingly Crown.” —Henry Toledano, Hofstra University

"This is a significant new source for the modern reader who is interested in medieval Hebrew poetry as well as in early modern Jewish thought." —The Sixteenth Century Journal

“The Kingly Crown is one of the most important classics of Hebrew literature and the translation by Bernard Lewis has gained great acclaim since its original publication. Andrew Gluck’s new materials add a great deal of richness to the book. His introduction and notes provide fresh, original insights into the text and illuminate the work of Solomon ibn Gabirol.” —Menahem Schmelzer, Jewish Theological Seminary

“The University of Notre Dame’s 2003 bilingual reissue of Bernard Lewis’s 1961 lyrical translation of this masterwork is a cause for celebration. The concise introduction by Professor Lewis of Princeton, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Islam, and the commentary of Andrew Gluck, a former member for the department of philosophy of Hofstra University, combine to make this edition priceless. They give readers a textured understanding of precisely how Ibn Gabirol employs the metaphor of a king in his palace to describe the relationship between humanity and God.” —The Jewish Press

“An updated bibliography about the poet and poem enrich the value of this volume, which should be on the bookshelf of all those interested in medieval belles letters, philosophy, and Jewish-Islamic relations.” —Religious Studies Review