Revelation
Translation by Michael Straus
Illustrations by Jennifer May Reiland
Book Design by Practical People
ISBN 978-1-944682-85-9 76 pages $20.00
"I view this as a “literary” translation in that I took the Greek text as its baseline, of course, but from there tried to break free from the normal constraints of English grammar and vocabulary in an effort to capture in words what the author of the work – the Apostle John living in exile on an island – himself says cannot be expressed in words.
"So it is the inherent impossibility of seeing things that John says can’t be seen and saying things that John says can’t be said that presented the challenge.
"
Michael Straus in an interview with Deborah Kalb
As in night visions even in an instant I was in the Spirit seeing before me a throne at Heaven’s Gate the countenance of him upon it appearing clear as jasper blood–red as Sardian stone an emerald iris encircling the throne encircling again twice twelvefold thrones on them two dozen elders sitting wrapped radiant in purest white robes gleaming...
Michael Straus was born and raised in New Jersey and, after a number of years practicing law in New York, undertook graduate studies in classical languages there and in England. He currently lives in Alabama where he is intermittently engaged in translations from Greek, such as this volume, as well as Spanish, including previously untranslated poems of Pablo Neruda. Apart from those activities, he is actively involved in the work of various museums and artist foundations.
Jennifer May Reiland was born in Texas and raised in the shadow of the End Times. She studied art at Cooper Union and lives and works in New York City. She has been awarded residencies at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program; the Fondation des Etats-Unis as a Hale Woolley Scholar; and the Drawing Center’s Open Sessions program. She has yet to escape the threat of the End Times.