Par Lagerkvist
The Sibyl (1956, translated 1958)
Author: Par Lagerkvist
Genre: Literary/Spiritual
Plot Summary:
A man is cursed to immortality when he refuses kindness to a criminal in a crucifixion procession. Later he discovers the criminal was the supposed son of god, and finds his life now permanently changed. He seeks the council of an ostracized Sybil who has shared her own encounters with god. The Sybil tells her story of becoming the Delphi’s greatest priestess, suffering the tortures of human love, and bearing child who may be the son of her god. Both characters question the inscrutability of god and resolve to accept god as a riddle, “to trouble us always.”
Geographical Setting: Delphi, Greece mixed with elements of Cumae, Italy
Time Period: approx. 30 AD.
Appeal Characteristics:
Written by Pulitizer Prize winning author Par Lagerkvist, The Sybil was translated from Swedish by Naomi Walford. It is literary, philosophical, and often esoteric. The novel addresses heavy issues of love, good, evil, and the condition of the human soul, as two characters retell very different experiences with god. The dilemmas are revealed early, and the reader is encouraged to read more about the characters’ sufferings. The story is told in two, first-person narratives, in addition to short, third-person narratives. The book contains no distinct chapters. Descriptions are lengthy and dense, and the pacing slow, with intermittent accounts of dramatic events. Readers are meant to observe and interpret the characters rather than identify with them. Even minor characters can be understood on multiple levels. The author intends the story line to be interpreted rather than taken at face-value. It is set primarily in a gloomy hut outside the seat of one of the seven oracles of the ancient world, which places the story in historical and geographical context. A mixture of mystery, allegory, and fantasy, this book is perfect for readers seeking a story that will stimulate contemplation for days to come. An excellent choice for those interested in existentialism, religious studies, or Greek mythology.
Read-alikes: Jean-Paul Sartre; Proslogion by Saint Anselm; Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard; Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun; The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto Calasso
Red Flags: God is referred to in lower case (god). Characters’ experiences with god may offend anyone seeking a traditional Christian tale. There are episodes of extra-marital sex. Readers uncomfortable with the idea of god as “evil and good…both meaningless and full of meaning…a riddle which is intended not to be solved but to exist,” should avoid this novel.
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