Barabbas (novel)

Barabbas (1950) is a novel by Pär Lagerkvist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1951. It tells a version of the life of Barabbas, the man of whom the Bible relates was released instead of Jesus.

Plot summary

Jesus is crucified on mount Golgotha. To the side of the crowd stands Barabbas. Being a violent man, a brigand and a rebel, he cannot muster much respect for the resignation of the man who died in his place. He is skeptical about the holiness of Jesus too. Yet, he is also fascinated by the sacrifice and he seeks out the different followers of Jesus trying to understand, but finds that their exalted views of Jesus do not match his down to earth observation of the man. More importantly, since Barabbas had not ever been the reciepient of love(the cornerstone of the Christian faith,) he finds that he is unable to understand love and hence Barabbas is unable to understand the Christian faith. Barabbas says that he "Wants to believe," but for Barabbas, understanding is a prerequisite for belief, so he is unable. After many trials and tribulations he ends up in Rome where he mistakes the Great Fire of Rome as the start of the new Kingdom of Heaven and enthusiastically helps spread the conflagration. Consequently, he is arrested and crucified along with hapless Christians as a martyr for a faith he does not understand.

Main themes

During his life Pär Lagerkvist struggled with his lack of faith. In the novel Barabbas too is a man who does not understand Jesus and does not know how to love him. The novel presents many Christians with some wrong concepts of the faith as negative examples, to bring out the message about how to love Jesus.

Awards and nominations

Author awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1951

Film and theatrical adaptations

• The novel was turned into a film by Dino De Laurentiis in 1962, starring Anthony Quinn.
• Made into a theatrical play in 1953