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Over the winter of 2006-2007, I read Harold Bloom’s “The Book of J” –an enthralling literary critique of Genesis and Exodus, accompanied by a stunning, elemental new translation from the Hebrew by David Rosenberg. The translated passages were the only ones that some scholars contend can be attributed to the “J” author of the Old Testament, hence, The Book of J. In Bloom’s critique, he surmises that “J” may very well have been a woman, a member of the royal court of David, and one whose irreverent and humorous attitude toward Yahweh, the patriarchs and religion itself would have naturally led to subsequent priestly censorship.
After reading Professor Bloom’s book, I was compelled to write my own story of J – a woman named Janaia (prounounced Ja- nye -ah) – and how she came to be The Woman Who Wrote the Bible. I researched ancient Hebrew writing and language, the environment of the time (around 1000 BCE), and of course, read and re-read the stories about King David, who in my novel is Janaia’s father. The tumultuous life of David forms the structure underlying the story of Janaia, as she grows from a child in the caves of Judah, where David hides from jealous King Saul, into a beautiful and wise woman who advises her father with the power of prophecy and the secret skill of writing she has learned at great personal cost.
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