Ecclesiastes is “the greatest single piece of literature I have known,” wrote Thomas Wolfe. So controversial that it was almost withdrawn from circulation, the book’s depth won out, and it continues to engage readers to this day as its narrator moves from the anguish of an unrequited search for truth to a recommendation of joy. Perhaps more than any ancient work, Ecclesiastes is designed to empower the reader, emphasizing challenges rather than answers. Benjamin Segal's translation and literary commentary is arrestingly new. Its most striking innovations include the tracing of change within the book, an exploration of the character of the main speaker, an appreciation of the literary structure, and a sensitivity to the varied voices of the main speaker in this retrospective novelette.