The Book of Judas: A Poem by Brendan Kennelly

by Brendan Kennelly, Brendan Kennelley

Signed by the Author with dedication to previous owner on half title page. very good clean secondhand copy.

Genres: Poetry

400 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1991

About the author

Timothy Brendan Kennelly, usually known as Brendan Kennelly, was an Irish poet and novelist. He was Professor of Modern Literature at Trinity College Dublin until 2005. Following his retirement he was a Professor Emeritus at Trinity College.

Reviews

[Trin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of Judas is almost 400 pages of poems, most of which are from Judas' perspective, but also which get into the hearts and minds of modern people, many of them Irish, many of them Dubliners. What's amazing about the book (aside from the poetry itself, which is wow) is that Kennelly essentially claims Judas for Ireland. He claims Judas for Ireland: he takes that which is, by the world, perhaps most feared and loathed and he asks it to step inside and make itself at home. He's not making excuses, but he's not afraid to sympathize, even empathize with it. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to get in America—but Wychwood just found a copy for me! *rejoices*

For those of you who can't find it, here's a small taste/poor substitute—my favorite poem from the book:

No Image Fits

I have never seen him and I have never seen
Anyone but him. He is older than the world and he
Is always young. What he says is in every ear
And has never been heard before.
I have tried to kill him in me,
He is in me more than ever.
I saw his hands smashed by dum-dum bullets,
His hands holding the earth are whole and tender.
If I knew what love is I would call him a lover.
Break him like glass, every splinter is wonder.
I had not understood that annihilation
Makes him live with an intensity I cannot understand.
That I cannot understand is the bit of wisdom I have found.
He splits my mind like an axe a tree.
He makes me heart deeper and fuller than my heart will dare to be.
He would make me at home beyond the sky and the black ground,
He would amaze me with the light on the brilliant sand,
He is the joy of the first word, the music of the undiscovered human.
Undiscovered! Yet I live as if my music were known.
He is what I cannot lose and cannot find
He is nothing, nothing but body and soul and heart and mind.

So gentle is he the gentlest air
Is rough by comparison
So kind is he I cannot dream
A kinder man
So distant is he the farthest star
Sleeps at my breast
So near is he the thought of him
Puts me outside myself

So one with love is he
I know love is
Time and eternity
And all their images.
No image fits, no rod, no crown.

I brought him down.

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this book for a couple of reasons. First, the quality of Kennelly's writing made me want to savor each short poem that makes up this epic length collection. Secondly, the subject matter, not just Judas himself but the panoply of betrayal throughout human history, makes The Book of Judas something that the sensitive reader can only digest in small portions. I did pick up the pace this week though, as the liturgical season seemed to open me up to dealing with the movement of what Hannah Arendt famously called "the banality of evil."

And, for similar reasons, this is not a book I can love. I admire it deeply, however, and will likely return to it. The short portraits that Kennelly draws of betrayal, callousness, self-aggrandizement AND self-loathing are crystal clear and deeply revelatory. If you are looking for an accurate cataloguing of the failures of humanity, you may find it here.

Kennelly's Judas is a time traveler. You will find his story brought to life across the ages and particularly in Kennelly's own modern Ireland, where "The Troubles" have given so much opportunity for betrayal, murder, Pharisaism, and ill-will. Kennelly spares no one, not even himself.

Recommended for the serious reader with a strong spirit.

[Bradley Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The legendary Irish poet delivers a poignant poetic collection from the perspective of one of the most hated figures in history; Judas Iscariot. This epic poem, delivered across 400 pages in twelve sections, is an exploration on the complexities of mankind as a commentary on the hypocrisies of modern society and addresses the question whether someone so reviled can still have a voice. Published 30 years ago, Kennelly relies on one of history’s most despised figures and their consequences to provide a commentary that modern readers might consider a rebuke of “cancel culture.” Shocking and provocative, Kennelly’s poem is a challenge to Puritanism and holds up a mirror to all those who read it.

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I grow up, I want to be Brendan Kennelly.