Chaïm Potok

Novelist Chaim Potok died Tuesday at the age of 73. Potok was raised in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, was ordained as a rabbi, and later became a best-selling author of the novels The Chosen, The Promise and My Name is Asher Lev. Much of his writing explored the conflict between spiritual and secular worlds, a subject that earned him readers from all faiths. This interview first aired in 1986.

Early in his adult life, the writer believed that the narrow worldview of his Hasidic upbringing was at odds with his ambition to become a writer. Potok, however, is still very much tied to the Jewish tradition, which he explores in his novels.

Philadelphian and frequent guest Chaim Potok returns to the show. Potok is a writer known for his novels, including his first, "The Chosen," a best-seller. His latest novel, "Davita's Harp," has just been released in paperback. His fiction often looks at the interplay between religious and secular life, and Potok grew up in Hasidic community, and is a rabbi. Potok has also written non-fiction and was part of a committee of scholars that created a new translation of the Hebrew Bibile which was published in 1982 in three volumes.