Reimagining David and Bathsheba with Jeanne Blasberg
Ancient conflicts for the modern woman
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In September 2024, TW Podcast Production Manager Sarah Tulloch interviewed award-winning author and essayist Jeanne Blasberg on her latest book, Daughter of a Promise, a modern retelling of the Biblical story, David and Bathsheba.
They discuss the ins and outs of retelling a story with so little original material. David and Bathsheba’s story includes only a few lines from the Bible and isn’t mentioned in any other texts. Bathsheba was represented as a seducer and conniver, but Jeanne wanted to explore her story further, the story that wasn’t being told: one that highlighted the power imbalances between the two and Bathsheba’s growing agency as they spent more time together. Jeanne’s process involved reading between the lines and answering her own questions in a modern-day reimagining and setting.
The author looked to the influence of the Me Too movement, which was ongoing while she was researching Bathsheba’s story. In the middle of the timely conversations around power imbalances between powerful men and less-powerful women, she saw how Bathsheba’s story was closely entwined with the issues modern-day women were facing.
As a student of the Torah, Jeanne’s access to the knowledge and different perspectives on the text heavily contributed to her research for the book. She had conversations with rabbis and studied the Book of Proverbs alongside her writing. Her unique background allowed her to bring David and Bathsheba’s story to the present day, set with present-day problems, while still staying true to the original text.
Hen asked how she found time to create and work while balancing her personal relationships and obligations. Jeanne shared that her children have grown up and left the house, which gave her more time to work on writing and crafting new novels from her favorite texts. She has developed a new writing routine that works best for her, one that is incredibly productive but free of guilt for missed goals.
Listen to Jeanne Blasberg’s episode to hear more about her process of constructing a retelling of an ancient text for modern women.
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