میریام

by Pär Lagerkvist, علی اصغر بهرامی (Translator)

Historien om en plötslig drabbande kärlek hos den grymme Herodes, kung över det Heliga Landet, till en kvinna han möter. Hon blir hans hustru av medlidande och offervilja och lyckas för en tid mildra hans onska

Genres: Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Sweden, Classics, Historical Fiction, Nobel Prize, Literature

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Lagerkvist was born in 1891 in southern Sweden. In 1910 he went to Uppsala as a student and in 1913 he left for Paris, where he was exposed to the work of Pablo Picasso. He studied Middle Age Art, as well as Indian and Chinese literature, to prepare himself for becoming a poet. His first collection of poetry was published in 1916. In 1940 Lagerkvist was chosen as one of the "aderton" (the eighteen) of the Swedish Academy.

Lagerkvist wrote poetry, novels, plays, short stories and essays. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951 "for the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which he endeavours in his poetry to find answers to the eternal questions confronting mankind."

Reviews

[Patrizia]

È l’ultima opera di Lagerkvist, per me la più bella.
Ancora una storia di redenzione mancata, ancora due figure di grande bellezza, il crudele Erode e Mariamne d’argento.
Solitudine di un cuore deserto, come la terra da cui proviene. Erode è odiato e temuto. Ama la violenza, la guerra , il sangue e la vendetta.
Mistero di un cuore puro, nata da una stirpe di re, Mariamne è come un albero che non sa nulla di sé e

“Era come gli alberi. Il vento è il loro sacro rito, di cui fanno parte e che qualche volta ascoltano”.

Erode fa erigere un tempio grandioso a un Dio in cui non crede. Lo fa per sé, per vanagloria.
Un giorno è folgorato sulla via di Damasco e da allora nulla sarà più come prima. Vede Mariamne, o piuttosto ne avverte l’anima, senza riuscire a capire.
È una forma di amore quella che lo lega a lei. Mariamne lo sposa, ma non riesce a ricambiarlo. Gli si affeziona, ne ha pietà e disgusto.
L’inquietudine di Erode aumenta, incapace di comprendere la donna amata.
La sua vita trascorrerà nella solitudine del deserto da cui proviene, sotto un cielo stellato immenso in cui passa la Cometa dei magi. Nascerà un bambino in una capanna, cui i saggi d’Oriente, poveri e devoti, doneranno quello che hanno di più prezioso: un sasso levigato dal mare vicino alla terra, un cardo a forma di scettro, una brocca d’acqua.
Il grande Erode muore, abbandonato da tutti, col nome di Mariamne sulle labbra.

[Susan Budd]

His last and best book. Perfect in every way.
Pär Lagerkvist has surpassed himself!

[Julian Worker]

This is a superb short story with historical characters as the two main people in the story, indeed the only two characters who are given names.

The historical story concerns many other people but this novella concentrates on Herod the Edomite who was given the name King of the Jews and who fell in love with the Maccabee princess, Mariamne when he saw her one day by the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

For a time Mariamne's gentle nature softens Herod's natural tyranny but he soon gets fed up because she surrenders to his advances rather than him taking her by force which he actually enjoys more, not only in love but in life in general, particularly in battle.

Due to his nature, Herod becomes suspicious of Mariamne's contact with an old Maccabean woman and thinks she's betraying him. The old woman disappears.

Tragedy ensues.

Although he's killed many people, Herod is terrified of dying, not in the excitement of battle, but from an illness, from within, from an unknown and unseen enemy.

[emily nicolson]

ridiculously good...also depressing

[Bill Fletcher]

Short but powerful, about the (in)ability to express love and whether good can ever really conquer evil. It sucked me right in from the first page; I don't think I looked up until I was done.

[Josefin Peterson]

Jag blev besviken över att boken handlade om Mariamne och inte Marianne. Hade sett fram emot att läsa en härlig liten bok om en medelålders kvinna i Borås.

[William S.]

I'll admit it, I have fallen in love with Lagerkvist's novels. The Dwarf last summer lead me to Barabbas. I felt satisfied for the moment. A few months ago I picked up the other four of the pentalogy of Barabbas and quickly ran through those. A few books later, I still wanted more, so I came to Lagerkvist's last novel.

While not nearly as complex as some in his pentalogy or the Dwarf, this definitely is the simplest novel I have read of his. It is a story of love, but not one we expect. When we hear a story of love, we think love from both sides, or love that failed at the beginning, but that is successful at the ending. Not in this book. This book is about a man who knows no love, except the love he finds, but knowing nothing else, his love is not of normal temper, but like his own temper, filled with evil.

The woman Mariamne is passive, giving in to help others, always helping others, always blaming herself. The beloved. She has no love for him. Perhaps Herod's love is evil because he could never receive or perhaps never received any love. She is worthy of all praise given.

So how can a book that seems to talk about two almost opposites, conducting a love that hopefully none of us will ever experience matter to us? The fact is, that although this love is evil, although this is not what we would want to call love, it is still the same emotion, and it has just as powerful effects on the holder. I read this story both as a warning and also a hope. A warning and possibility of what we can experience and feel, of what we may create within ourselves. This is a book to let us understand and make reasonable what we originally thought unthinkable.

[Will]

Herod is a monster, a man of overwhelming, evil reputation. He kills and tortures and only cares for himself. He punishes those who anger him or try to thwart his ambitions. Mariamne is a woman of principle and dominated by guilt, who marries Herod to try to placate an ogre who cannot be placated. Love for her family complicates Herod's love for her and torture. He must punish, and she must forgive. Their natures are opposite. Is it love? No. Do they need each other? Yes. Is it pretty or fair? Nope. Does good win? Never with Lagerkvist, and that's why he's so unapologetically great.

[Brenna]

What can I say? lagerkvist's spare yet spiritual writing is unequaled.

[Ole Pogie]

A short but magnificently written book. It tells the story of the cruel and vicious king Herod and the beautiful and good Mariamne who became his wife.

[Rosewater Emily]

За правилами [всесоюзних виборів кремезидентів в Республіці і] Всесвіту, що народився тієї митті, коли зенка взялася-но за недовготривалі пошуки оригінального тексту ("Есперанто, то Есперанто"):
Eble estas multe da vero en tio, ke ÿi estis kvazaû arbo. Çar arbo ja scias nenion pri si mem. Kaj arbo estas sekreto. Eble granda sekreto. Sed ̧i mem nenion scias pri tio. Gi estas sekreto ankaû por si mem.
Oni povas ankaû ekpensi pri tio, kial ÿi ne bezonis templon.
Pri la arboj kaj la floroj kaj la belaj ÿtonoj, kiujn oni povas trovi çe la strando, ja estas tute same.
Kiel oni povus konstrui templon por ili?
Ankaû ÿi ne bezonis templon.
Стриманність логічного ряду, відверто, імпонує. Згадується, мимовільно, кінокартина Горана Паскалевича (How Harry Became a Tree, 2001) - фамільною належністю режисера [суто спекулятивно] пов'язуючи думку (лиш поверхово) зі [славетним] Блезом - відомим, сумнівів не маю, й Лагерквісту. Та про схильність 'очерету' до мислення, мабуть, мову вести вже запізно.
Біблійно-Лагерквістова Маріамна багатша, як персонаж, за Емму Бо з Норвезького закладково-анотаційного клюбу світових довершеностей, одночасно нагадуючи І-330 ("Ми", 1924) - власне, нечастою (принаймні, для мого репертуару читаного) перемішшю з волі до [позитивної] влади (котра маскується жалістю до Ірода, однак розвінчується сексуальною 'недогодою' зі зміною режиму подружнього співіснування) із схильністю до 'мазох' системи цінностей. Як письменник вважав, що 'дерева' нічого не мають знати про себе, інакше унеможливлюється жертовність окремої одиниці і лісу загалом у межах просвітницько-цивілізаторських ініціатив - відповідно, таємниця (sekreto - Socrates - sacred - ran[sac]ked - [sic]) особистісна (що не встигла бути індивідуалізованою із-зовні) полягає саме в спрямуванні небажання самопізнання таким чином, аби емоційний бік його, небажання, розкрився в повноті лише двом напрямкам - інтроєкції і публікації. Храм Ірода, можна припустити, постає у якості його ідеальної дружини - звідси й вказання не несприйняття царем позиції Маріамни по відношенню до прожекту [царевого життя] (ближчого до літературної місії, ніж до образотворчої, тобто живописної - прожекту, котрим не властиво було стати безпосередньо життю; не так складно пов'язати і акцент на відсутності впливу в рівній мірі 'любові і смерті' історично-другої дружини на вже 'вилюднілу' персону Іродову).
Власне, охороняли-не-зважаючи-на-бажання-гибелі царя через нереалізов[а]ні[шн]сть біографічного концепту. Маріамну, на противагу, любили за реальність її суперечливості - високій продуктивності і життєздатності причинно-наслідкових зв'язків її не потрібна охорона, не здатна у належний момент перетворитися на винищувачів її ж об'єктивованої (постійними, в умовах, обраних письменником, доріканнями самій собі) жертовності. В цьому руслі і обрання вбивці kiu similas al li mem - несвідоме насамперед, оскільки Іродова натура програмована (нехай тільки очі залишаються заплющеними під час обміну царського золота на популістичний хліб) на виживання саме за рахунок пошуку чи створення власних двійників, здатних виконувати завдання Ірода-as-if-he-was-a-project. У власноручному вбивстві особини, найнятої для позбавлення себе [лиш тільки другої] дружини, простежується і вплив такої не-баг-но-фічі монархізму (корпоративної анархії) як вміння багаторазово виконувати (не просто 'повторювати') акт самогубства, задля повернення до засад режиму володарювання (чи протидії привласненню домінантних позицій відносно зацікавленого у збереженні ідентичності загалу), завдяки тому, що Той, Хто Має Загинути - ніколи не стає Тим, Хто Відчуває Потребу Загинути. Історія із Мов-Оз-навчим Пов-і-Надом України в Сполученому Королівстві може слугувати, у відомому сенсі - іллітерат-медійною аналогією. Алегорією навіть, у сенсі Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen.
Ankaû la tro pura povas tedi. Суттєва обмеженість, перш за все, 'млосного' (такого, що здатен сприяти ефективній драматизації подій і сенсів) історичного матеріалу (неправдиве повідомлення Саломії, сестри Іродової, вивищення до первосвящеників Аристобула, брата Маріамни, за проханням матері її - наприклад), на жаль, здатні перетворити оповідь на поверхове, моралізаторське "дослідження природної нерозкаяності" позачергового можновладця. Можна припустити, що середина 60х років спряла саме такого типу "лаконізації" творчого матеріалу серед Північно-європейських суверенних конгломерацій.
Однак, ніщо не заважає звести усе вищесказане до терапевтичного заключення: і в зенки теж internoestis kiel dezerto kaj la steloj profundigis siajn fridajn lancojnen lian animon.

[Maria Bodin]

Läste förstås på svenska. Tack kör-Alexander för lånet!

[Cloglover]

Beautiful incredible sparse intense everything you want from Lagerkvist my main man love him sm

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar]

The Herod in Par Lagerkvist’s Herod and Mariamne is the Herod of Biblical notoriety. The novella is a love story of sorts. Herod is a monstrous ruler who derives satisfaction from killing and torturing his perceived enemies. He falls in love with the innocent Mariamne. She agrees to marry him but only because she thinks she may be able to temper his violent urges. She succeeds temporarily, but Herod resorts to his former cruelties when he realizes Mariamne doesn’t return his love. His rage at being spurned by the only woman he has ever loved fuels his resentment, and he eventually has her killed. He dies years later, a decrepit old man, alone, despised, and calling out to Mariamne with his last breath.

This is an engaging novel, simply told and written in Lagerkvist’s style of unadorned language. Lagerkvist’s portrayal of Herod is convincing. He is a cruel man consumed with self-importance, an inflated ego, and is paranoid to top it off. When he finds himself passionate about someone other than himself, he demands full reciprocation. His love turns to resentment and then to a seething anger aimed at the woman who deigns to withhold her love.

Lagerkvist’s portrayal of Mariamne is not so convincing. She is a woman of flawless internal and external beauty, a selfless creature totally devoted to sacrificing herself to save others. She tolerates Herod’s indiscretions and his cruelties with an unnerving patience. She goes about living her life as if she is not of this world. In short, Mariamne is barely human.

The portrayal of Mariamne reminded me of Virginia Woolf’s description of the Angel in the House in her Professions for Women. Woolf describes her encounter with the Angel while writing a review of a male-authored novel:

“I will describe her as shortly as I can. She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily. If there was chicken, she took the leg; if there was a draught she sat in it — in short she was so constituted that she never had a mind or a wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others. Above all — I need not say it —-she was pure. Her purity was supposed to be her chief beauty — her blushes, her great grace.”

Virginia Woolf comes to the realization she has to kill the Angel in the House if she wants to survive as a writer. Her action is based on self-defense: “Had I not killed her, she would have killed me.”

Mariamne shares the qualities of Woolf’s phantom Angel. And it is those very same qualities that cause Herod to act in a murderous rage against her. Perhaps if she had been a little more human, thrown a few tantrums of jealousy here and there, argued with him, revealed she had needs and desires of her own, shown her weaknesses, she may have survived his onslaught.

[khashayar]

It could have been much better if only Lagerkvist had not intended to set the story in a historical/biblical background. I can see that Herod's passion to build the second temple plays a vital role in the novella and that this might be the reason behind using the historical/biblical background. Yet, I cannot understand why about the massacre of innocents is mentioned, it seems to me that it is just name-dropped.

I think it was not necessary to make it historically plausible. After all, there are no indications of the presence of Romans, children of Mariamne, the fact that she was betrothed by her mother to Herod, that she was the second wife, and that the third one's name was Mariamne too, and so many other things.

The novella is certainly readable because it is about human nature and its eternal/internal conflicts, no matter how you are going to interpret the story line and characters, you will learn something about the human nature, and this is why I am complaining about being insistent upon making it biblical or historical.

[David Peterson]

“Mariamne” var Lagerkvists sista bok. Här har han fulländat sin romankonst. Precis som i “Sibyllan”, i “Ahasverus död” och i “Barabbas” hämtas berättelsen från religionen. Det handlar om den avskydde kung Herodes och om hur han träffar Mariamne, den enda människa han lyckas älska.

Språket är enkelt och rakt. Men säger ändå så mycket. Som när Mariamnes liv ligger i vågskålen. Kung Herodes funderar.

“Han höll nu på att bestämma sig för om han längre skulle kunna uthärda detta att hon levde, att hon inte var död. Det var svårt för honom att göra det, men han måste ju bestämma sig, träffa ett avgörande till sist.”

[Vee]

despite Dvärgen being one of the most influential books I read during my teenage years, I've never read anything else by Lagerkvist. just like that book, Mariamne is a study in evil and how it can permeate everything, even love. the author has an incredible knowledge of human nature, any action can be made understandable through his sparse, emotional prose. the lack of understanding between the two main characters leads to a cycle of abuse, that doesn't end even after death.

[فریبرز نوری]

 میریام اثر نویسنده ی نوبلیست سوئدی، پرلاگر کویست، ماجرای دلدادگی هیرودیس پادشاه ستمگر یهودیه است به دختری به نام میریام. میریام متعلق به طایفه ای است که اکثر اعضا آن درجنگ با هیرودیس کشتار و شهر وآبادی شان تخریب و نابود شده است.  ولادت عیسی مسیح در زمان پادشاهی هیرودیس بوده است و به همین مناسبت نام او در چند جای عهد جدید ذکر شده است. در انجیل متی، فصل دوم در مورد او چنین آمده است: « عیسی در ایام زمام داری هیرودیس پادشاه در بیت لحم یهودیه تولد یافت. پس از تولد او مجوسیانی از مشرق زمین به اورشلیم آمده پرسیدند: « پادشاه نوزاد یهودیان کجاست؟ ما طلوع ستاره او را دیده و برای پرستش او آمده ایم.» وقتی هیرودیس پادشاه این را شنید بسیار مضطرب شد ... پس از رفتن آنان فرشته خداوند در خواب به به یوسف ظاهر شده گفت: « برخیز، کودک و مادرش را بردار و به مصر فرار کن و تا وقتی می گویم در آنجا بمان زیرا هیرودیس می خواهد کودک را پیدا کند و به قتل برساند»  پس یوسف برخاست و مادر و طفل را برداشته در همان شب عازم مصر شد و تا وقت مرگ هیرودیس در آنجا ماند...»

چنان که در مقدمه کتاب آمده است نثر میریام شبیه به نثرعهد عتیق است و به همین مناسبت مترجم نیز در ترجمه خود از سبک و سیاق ترجمه های فارسی عهد عتیق استفاده نموده است.

« هیرودیس کنار جاده دمشق ایستاده بود ... و میریام را دید. به همین سادگی پیش آمد ، اما آن لحظه پیش آمد چنان با لحظه پیش از خود متفاوت بود که زان پس همه چیز زیر و رو شد و دیگر هیچ چیز به گذشته باز نگشت: نه آفتاب، نه خاک، نه علف های درویده بر خاک ...»

هیرودیس سودازده تا به خود بیاید میریام رفته است. هیرودیس بارها برای یافتن او به همان محل باز می گردد اما کمترین اثری از او نمی یابد.

پس ازمدتی میریام خود پا به کاخ می گذارد و هیرودیس هیجان زده و ناباور علت حضور او را جویا می شود. میریام آمده است تا نزد پادشاه از پسر نوجوان هم طایفه ای خود که به دلیل حمله به یکی از نگهبانان کاخ در زندان است شفاعت کند. هیرودیس شفاعت او را می پذیرد و پسرک را آزاد می کند. میریام در مقابل وعده می دهد که باز به دیدن پادشاه برود .

ماجرای گذشت پادشاه ستمکار و نجات پسر به سرعت بر سر زبانها می افتد. ستمدیدگان امیدوارانه به میریام هجوم می آورند و از او کمک می خواهند. میریام اندوهگین از این که نمی تواند به همه آنها کمک کند و بیمناک از عاقبت خود، دوباره و چند باره به کاخ باز می گردد و هر بار به درخواست او اسیری از محبس نجات میابد.

میریام به سرعت به نجات دهنده و قدیسه ای محبوب تبدیل می شو و این آغاز ماجرای پر فراز و نشیب اوست.

[Renata]

Pär Lagerkvist – Mariamne
Mariamne je Lagerkvistov kratki roman na temu iz Biblije, točnije o životu tiranina Heroda.
Herod je rodom bio Edomit, narod Judeje ga ne voli, okrtutan je, voli tek rat, vlast, nemoral i blaga, u njemu je divlja krv. Dolaskom na vlast smaknuo je sve svoje dotadašnje neprijatelje, a narod se najviše čudi kako jedan takav zlotvor gradi veličanstveni hram. A Herod ga gradi da bi uzdigao sebe.
I tad se dešava da na vratima Jeruzalema koja vode u Damask ugleda nju – Mariamnu. No, Mariamne je osim što je lijepa, blaga, plemkinja, Makabejka, a Makabejci su njegovi zakleti neprijatelji. Upoznaju se kad Mariamne dolazi pred njega moliti milost za rođaka, dok Herod ostaje osupnut nedostatkom straha kod Mariamne. Nije veliki Herod na to navikao. Otpušta sve bludnice i živi za susrete s Mariamnom. Prosi je, a ona postaje kraljica Mariamne. Narod ju je volio, zvali su je: Mariamne u srebrnoj odjeći.
Herod osjeća strašnu požudu, no Mariamne ne, malo-pomalo to će ih potpuno udaljiti jedno od drugog i umanjiti utjecaj koji je Mariamne neko vrijeme imala na Heroda.
Bitka s Makabejcima. Herod ubija dječaka zbog kojeg je i upoznao Mariamne.
Počinje ju varati i na dvor opet dovodi bludnice.
Počinje i sumnjati u nju jer je Makabejka, iako mu intuicija govori da griješi. Vrativši se s jednog jahanja nalazi je u krvi, izbodenu i vapi: voljena, voljena, voljena... (posljednje što je Mariamne čula). Tko je i zašto ubio Mariamne? Čitanjem to otkrivamo. A Herod? Nakon Mariamnine smrti nastavlja orgijanje i ubijanje. Tad obolijeva. Dugo i mučno.
U romanu ga pisac poredi s pustinjom u kojoj nema kapi bistre vode, a njegovu dušu punom mulja zove. Umire s njenim imenom na usnama. Mariamne. Jedina osoba koju je Herod u životu volio. Ako je uopće umio voljeti. Mariamne.
Pär Lagerkvist (1891.-1974.) švedski je književnik. Često u svojim djelima uzima zlo kao motiv, npr. Već 1933. napiao je roman Bödlen (Dželat) o dolasku Hitlera na vlast. Često se simbolički služi motivima koji su antonimi i njegova djela imaju dubinu. Mariamne je njegov posljednji roman. 1951. dobio je Nobelovu nagradu.

[Dave Rush]

Similar to the character Barabass in the titular novel, in this book we meet Herod the Great, the capricious and loathsome king who would make his name in history as the genocidal monster who killed young children in his fear of the Christ Child taking his throne. Where Lagerkvist brings a genius, is the fact that Herod becomes human. Not only do we watch as he experiences love. We also learn the nature of his tormented moods. His lust for power, pleasure, and fame, come from an inner loathing. Unable to be truly loved by the kind and sympathetic M, we watch as his reigns of terror unfold as a manifestation of paranoia, greed, but above all vulnerability. People, such as Christ, Mary, Joseph, and the wisemen, appear, but are subtlety mentioned in a way that they are but footnotes or normal day to day individuals. The focus is on Herod.
The irony and hilarity is the fact that Herod is but a footnote in the Christ story. Yet nonetheless, he is remembered not for himself but rather the actions of others. While he attempted to build a grander temple, he is no bigger than a grain of sand in the very desert from which his people derive. In this retelling of his story, we see the motivations of the man. We understand on a deeper level what drove him to be “Great”. More importantly, we learn from his failures. We are reminded that true love is not always reciprocated. To love, one must sacrifice themselves. M loved her people. She took abuse and died so they would have better lives. So too does the Christ child. Yet Herod, who wanted nothing more than to be loved, found none. For it was his inability to trust and give himself fully and without hesitation or fear, that he in turn could not find the love he so desperately longed for.

[Taylor van Doren]

I'm definitely not smart enough and have not read enough of the Bible to fully understand this book, but I loved what I did understand. It was really tragic and beautifully written. I'm so glad I selected it virtually at random in a used book store in LA a few weeks ago, gonna start picking books at random more.

[Yvonne Torstensson]

Pär Lagerkvists sista roman är ett litet mästerverk i all sin enkelhet. En tunn bok med ett språk där varje ord vägts på guldvåg. Det är en av mina favoriter i bokhyllan, en hisnande kärlekshistoria som får en grym och förskräckande vändning. Texten är fylld av symbolik och jag återkommer till den gång på gång sedan jag först läste den under gymnasieåren.

[Mikey]

3️⃣.3️⃣
.
.
.
Herodis such a cruel and unfaithful character fell in love with someone with simplicity and kindness
It was a great conflict between good and bad !
It was a short good story of love and death !

[Toms Vīgants]

Written in my favourite writing style, soulfully casual. A great short piece, making you wonder, did the light prevail or was it erased.
And before you passed them, I didn't even notice how beautiful these flowers were.

[Nazanin Zare]

3.75

[Roland Hassel]

En sorts lågmäldhet i tonen, en lätthet i språket, som inte tillräckligt väl döljer hur platt och melodramatisk Lagerkvist är när han skriver såna här enkla moraliserande sagor.

[Majken Cederman]

3,75*

[Carter]

This was a short yet enjoyable read. I absolutely loved the writing style and the author's use of indirect characterization.

[Mattias Axelsson]

Lånad av modern min, fina modern min

[Adam]

A novella with a very inviting, fluid voice. But the story arc is pretty loose, with no character-development/plot payoff to speak of. Still, there are some fine passages.

”She was like the trees. The wind is the worship that fills them, and to which at times--though not always--they listen. Their divine service is within themselves.”