Barabbas Critical Essays

The transformation of a soul is the subject of Barabbas. Pär Lagerkvist’s novel has the tone and manner of an ancient, oft-told story, recounted simply but with feeling. The tale is told with an austerity that renders it all the more moving for being pared down to essentials. The poetic prose is precise and vivid, despite its leanness; at the end of the book, the reader realizes with amazement how clearly the author has pictured by means of a word here and a phrase there the ancient, biblical world. Barabbas is a superbly written, enigmatic novel, open to many possible interpretations. If it possesses any fault, it is only that occasionally the prose is almost self-consciously understated, that the sophistication underlying the simplicity of the narration seems to peek through. This is a minor flaw and in no way detracts from the power of the book.

The question raised by Barabbas is that which haunts humanity, the question of what lies beyond life. Barabbas is compelled by his fate to question the universe in a manner that he does not understand or desire. Ordinarily such an uneducated thief would not have concerned himself with philosophical and moral issues, but the fact that he is acquitted and Jesus is crucified in his stead turns his world upside down. The book traces his wandering, both physically and spiritually, until his own end, also upon a cross. It is not the end that is important in this novel but rather the...