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Pontius Pilatus
Die fiktiven Bekenntnisse des römischen Statthalters Pontius Pilatus zeigen einen Mann, der sich heillos in seine eigene Machtfülle und Besitzgier verstrickt und am Zenit seiner Karriere von Zweifel und Weltüberdruss gepackt wird.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
49 people want to read
About the author
Miro Gavran
79 books102 followersMiro Gavran is a contemporary Croatian author, born in 1961. His works have been translated into 35 languages, and his books have come out in 150 different editions at home and abroad. His dramas and comedies have had more than 200 theatre first nights around the world and have been seen by more than two million theatre-goers.
He is the only living dramatist in Europe to have a theatre festival devoted solely to his plays outside his/her homeland; the Gavranfest has been held in Slovakia since 2003.
He debuted in 1983 with the drama Creon's Antigone, speaking out forcefully about political manipulation. This was followed three years later by the drama Night of the Gods, the theme being the relationship between the artist and the powers-that-be under a totalitarian system. He then wrote a cycle of plays concentrating on male-female relations, in which his heroes were often great historical persons. He has created a series of complex female characters. His heroines are both strong and emotional. He has written some forty plays to date, including Death of an Actor, All About Women, All About Men, George Washington's Loves, Chekhov Says Good-Bye to Tolstoy, How To Kill The President, Greta Garbo's Secret, Parallel Worlds, Nora in Our Time, My Wife's Husband, Dr Freud's Patient...
There have been first nights of his plays throughout the world, in: Rotterdam, Washington, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Buenos Aires, Waterford, Mumbai, Bratislava, Prague, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Krakow, Belgrade, Budapest, Athens, Augsburg, Vienna, Sofia.
He has had nine novels published: Forgotten Son, How We Broke Our Legs, Klara, Margita or A Journey into a Former Life, Judith, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate and The Only Witness to Beauty, Kafka's friend, along with a collection of short stories entitled Small Unusual People.
In his early novels, he describes life in the Croatian provinces, featuring everyday folk, anti-heroes of sorts, who retain a positive stance towards life even when they are confronted with injustice and major difficulties. This is perhaps best seen in his novel, Forgotten Son (1989), in which the central personage is a slightly mentally challenged young man of twenty.
As a forty-year-old, Gavran started to write psychological-existential novels inspired by biblical characters, bringing them nearer to the sensibilities of contemporary readers. These books have been popular with both believers and non-believers, since their messages are universal.
His books have been published in all corners of the globe: in Beijing, Vienna, St Petersburg, Oslo, Istanbul, Paris, Prague, Bratislava, Sofia, Ljubljana...
Gavran has received more than twenty literary awards in Croatia and abroad, including the Central European Time Award, given annually in Budapest to the best Central European author for overall opus, as well as the European Circle Award given to writers for the confirmation of European values in their texts.
With insight and humour, Miro Gavran has written eight books for children and young people: All Sorts of Things in My Head, How Dad Won Mum, Head Over Heels in Love, Happy Days, Farewell Letter, Plays with a Head and a Tail, Try to Forget and The Teacher of My Dreams. These books have also found their way to adult readers.
Gavran earned his degree in Dramaturgy at the Academy of Theatre, Film and Television in Zagreb.
He first worked as a dramaturge and theatre director at the famous ITD Theatre in Zagreb. Since 1993, he has been living and working as a free-lance, professional writer. His theatre and prose texts have been included in numerous anthologies in Croatia and in countries outside its borders, and his work is studied at universities throughout the world.
He has been living in Zagreb, Croatia since he was twenty. He is married to the actress Mladena Gavran, and founded the Gavran Theatre with her in 2002. Their son Jakov is a student of acting.
He is the only living dramatist in Europe to have a theatre festival devoted solely to his plays outside his/her homeland; the Gavranfest has been held in Slovakia since 2003.
He debuted in 1983 with the drama Creon's Antigone, speaking out forcefully about political manipulation. This was followed three years later by the drama Night of the Gods, the theme being the relationship between the artist and the powers-that-be under a totalitarian system. He then wrote a cycle of plays concentrating on male-female relations, in which his heroes were often great historical persons. He has created a series of complex female characters. His heroines are both strong and emotional. He has written some forty plays to date, including Death of an Actor, All About Women, All About Men, George Washington's Loves, Chekhov Says Good-Bye to Tolstoy, How To Kill The President, Greta Garbo's Secret, Parallel Worlds, Nora in Our Time, My Wife's Husband, Dr Freud's Patient...
There have been first nights of his plays throughout the world, in: Rotterdam, Washington, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Buenos Aires, Waterford, Mumbai, Bratislava, Prague, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Krakow, Belgrade, Budapest, Athens, Augsburg, Vienna, Sofia.
He has had nine novels published: Forgotten Son, How We Broke Our Legs, Klara, Margita or A Journey into a Former Life, Judith, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate and The Only Witness to Beauty, Kafka's friend, along with a collection of short stories entitled Small Unusual People.
In his early novels, he describes life in the Croatian provinces, featuring everyday folk, anti-heroes of sorts, who retain a positive stance towards life even when they are confronted with injustice and major difficulties. This is perhaps best seen in his novel, Forgotten Son (1989), in which the central personage is a slightly mentally challenged young man of twenty.
As a forty-year-old, Gavran started to write psychological-existential novels inspired by biblical characters, bringing them nearer to the sensibilities of contemporary readers. These books have been popular with both believers and non-believers, since their messages are universal.
His books have been published in all corners of the globe: in Beijing, Vienna, St Petersburg, Oslo, Istanbul, Paris, Prague, Bratislava, Sofia, Ljubljana...
Gavran has received more than twenty literary awards in Croatia and abroad, including the Central European Time Award, given annually in Budapest to the best Central European author for overall opus, as well as the European Circle Award given to writers for the confirmation of European values in their texts.
With insight and humour, Miro Gavran has written eight books for children and young people: All Sorts of Things in My Head, How Dad Won Mum, Head Over Heels in Love, Happy Days, Farewell Letter, Plays with a Head and a Tail, Try to Forget and The Teacher of My Dreams. These books have also found their way to adult readers.
Gavran earned his degree in Dramaturgy at the Academy of Theatre, Film and Television in Zagreb.
He first worked as a dramaturge and theatre director at the famous ITD Theatre in Zagreb. Since 1993, he has been living and working as a free-lance, professional writer. His theatre and prose texts have been included in numerous anthologies in Croatia and in countries outside its borders, and his work is studied at universities throughout the world.
He has been living in Zagreb, Croatia since he was twenty. He is married to the actress Mladena Gavran, and founded the Gavran Theatre with her in 2002. Their son Jakov is a student of acting.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 17, 2020
I really cannot recommend this novel enough. It is the third and final novel in Gavran's biblical trilogy (the first two being Judith and John the Baptist), told in the first voice from the perspective of Pontius Pilatus, a man who sentenced Jesus to death. Pontius Pilatus makes for a great protagonist in this novel that explores his life in detail, from his youth to about a decade following his sentence on Jesus. Pontius Pilatus is a wonderfully human character in this book but at the same time very much a convincing representative of his time. His relationship with his wife and other characters in the novel is well developed and interesting. Pilatus' actions make sense in the context of his character and his inner development is gradual and logical.
Moreover, you can really get the feeling of the times, something that goes beyond just capturing and creating atmosphere with clever descriptions. Sadly, it is something that so few historical novels manage to convey successfully. This one does a great job, though. Pontius Pilatus is very much a Roman governor, his entire thinking and mentality belonging to the past times, but somehow at the bottom of it all- one can relate to him as a character because his human and personal suffering is something universal. I find that most historical fiction nowadays features modern-day thinking characters put into exotic destinations. So few writers are disciplined and hard-working enough to try to put themselves into mental and ethnical frame work and perspective of someone who lived so long ago. The morals, the philosophy and the logic of ancient Roman times were in many ways different from our own. It takes a really talented writer to cross that jazz, to present characters belonging to such distant times but to make them universal and approachable. That is what Gavran managed to do in his biblical trilogy and especially so in Judith (my favourite book in this trilogy).
Still, I feel that Gavran owes a literary depth to Bulgakov's Master and Margarita here. Gavran's portrayal of Pontius Pilatus is unique, interesting and convincing enough, but I wonder could it have been possible to create such a Pontius Pilatus without Bulgakov's iconic characterization that preceded it. Wasn't it Mihael Bulgakov who first really breathed life into Pontius Pilatus, making him such a complex character? When I think about these two Pontius Pilatus, unless I'm careful they start to merge in my head. I'm not sure do I have a favourite among these two literary interpretations, they are both such bold readings of this historical character that has haunted our imagination for centuries but about whom we don't know much about.
Moreover, you can really get the feeling of the times, something that goes beyond just capturing and creating atmosphere with clever descriptions. Sadly, it is something that so few historical novels manage to convey successfully. This one does a great job, though. Pontius Pilatus is very much a Roman governor, his entire thinking and mentality belonging to the past times, but somehow at the bottom of it all- one can relate to him as a character because his human and personal suffering is something universal. I find that most historical fiction nowadays features modern-day thinking characters put into exotic destinations. So few writers are disciplined and hard-working enough to try to put themselves into mental and ethnical frame work and perspective of someone who lived so long ago. The morals, the philosophy and the logic of ancient Roman times were in many ways different from our own. It takes a really talented writer to cross that jazz, to present characters belonging to such distant times but to make them universal and approachable. That is what Gavran managed to do in his biblical trilogy and especially so in Judith (my favourite book in this trilogy).
Still, I feel that Gavran owes a literary depth to Bulgakov's Master and Margarita here. Gavran's portrayal of Pontius Pilatus is unique, interesting and convincing enough, but I wonder could it have been possible to create such a Pontius Pilatus without Bulgakov's iconic characterization that preceded it. Wasn't it Mihael Bulgakov who first really breathed life into Pontius Pilatus, making him such a complex character? When I think about these two Pontius Pilatus, unless I'm careful they start to merge in my head. I'm not sure do I have a favourite among these two literary interpretations, they are both such bold readings of this historical character that has haunted our imagination for centuries but about whom we don't know much about.
February 22, 2019
G. Gavran je upravo promaknut u meni najboljeg našeg autora. Možda (sigurno čak) to njemu ne predstavlja posebno dostignuće, ali meni predstavlja. Sve što sam dosad njegovo pročitala, oduševilo me je. Jedino drame još nisam, ali to će se naravno promijeniti. Jasno mi je kako to da postoji festival njegovih drama. Sam jezik kojim piše već me nakon par stranica baca u trans.
Nije potrebno dodati da se nadam pročitati sve što je proizašlo iz njegovog pera. Fascinira me to što nije dosadan, svako djelo očarava na poseban način, uvjerljiv, kao da nije fikcija već istinita priča.
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Nije potrebno dodati da se nadam pročitati sve što je proizašlo iz njegovog pera. Fascinira me to što nije dosadan, svako djelo očarava na poseban način, uvjerljiv, kao da nije fikcija već istinita priča.
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July 7, 2025
- Ostvarimo li svoje dječačke snove, prije ili poslije moramo uvidjeti nesrazmjer između sna i stvarnosti. Ako, pak, ne ostvarimo ono što u mladosti željesmo, bivamo određeni čak i tim neostvarenim snovima i gorčinama, koja nam zbog neuspjeha postaje vječnom pratiteljicom.
- Da, bijah razapet između dva načina života, od kojih me nijedan ne mogaše u potpunosti zadovoljiti, jer ljudskoj prirodi zauvijek osta svojstveno vjerovati da je sreća negdje drugdje, a ne ondje gdje u tome trenutku prebivamo.
- Da, bijah razapet između dva načina života, od kojih me nijedan ne mogaše u potpunosti zadovoljiti, jer ljudskoj prirodi zauvijek osta svojstveno vjerovati da je sreća negdje drugdje, a ne ondje gdje u tome trenutku prebivamo.
February 24, 2015
Odmjerivah ovu knjižicu na Mozaikovim rasprodajama već neko vrijeme, i mogu reći da me najviše privukla naslovnica Ecce homo Antonija Ciserija kao i višegodišnji crv zainteresiranosti za jednog od najomrznutijih (i potencijalno najzanimljivijih) ličnosti Novog zavjeta – Poncija Pilata. Čovjek koji je osudio Isusa Krista Iskupitelja i Spasitelja na smrt. Svi znamo tko i što je bio Isus, no Pilatova strana nikad nije bila prikazana. Rijetko kada bi se neki autor pozabavio Pilatovom pričom, što nije ni čudno kad je nasuprot njemu stajao najveći igrač Novog zavjeta. Tko je on bio, kako se tu našao, kako je gledao na dotične događaje i najvažnije kako se osjećao tijekom i nakon spoznaje što je učinio.
Miro Gavran suvremeni je hrvatski književnik, romanopisac i dramaturg, autor koji je objavljivao u zemlji i inozemstvu. Poncije Pilat treće je djelo unutar kršćanske povijesne trilogije nakon Judite i Krstitelja u kojima se okreće nekim od likovima kršćanske ikonografije
Gavran humanizira u potpunosti lik Poncija Pilata, stavlja ga u povijesni kontekst, te zaista jednostavnim stilom dramskom izražajnošću sprovodi čitatelja od njegovog djetinjstva pa do novog rođenja negdje u poznijim godinama. Poncije je posvojeni sin rimskog moćnika i cijelo njegovo djetinjstvo bilo je usmjeravanje prema vojničkoj karijeri i uspon na rimskoj ljestvici uspjeha. Za jednog Rimljana nije bilo mjesta za emocije. Upravo to vojničko obrazovanje i bespogovorno slušanje vojničkih naredbi pretvori ga u savršen stroj za ubijanje, no Poncije uspijeva duboko u sebi ostati čovjek.
"Spoznah tada da svako lice može imati neočekivano naličje i da se bogovi često vole igrati našim uvjerenjima i osjećajima, dovodeći nas u zablude koje i najmoćnije čine najslabijima, a najmudrijima razum svode na pamet djeteta." (Str. 34.)
Autor se uz minimum esencijalnih povijesnih činjenica, okreće unutra prema likova, ponajviše prema Poncijevom odnosu s njima. Roman je napisao svjetovnim jezikom, poput prave povijesne drame, izbjegavajući vještu zamku katoličkog moraliziranja. Na mjesto namjesnika u Cezareji dolazi (nasuprot okrutnom namjesniku Galileje, omrznutom Herodu) u zrelom razdoblju svog života, odlučan ne iznevjeriti svog cara Tiberija. ("Griješimo kada preuzimamo mjerila drugih ljudi. Griješimo svaki puta kada ne slušamo svoje srce.") Poncije je dokaz da se cijeli život uči, ukoliko smo dovoljno otvoreni prema promjenama, drugačijima i onih otvorena srca. U njemu cijeli život kao da postoje dvije osobe, suosjećajna i razumna duša, a s druge strane praktična strana izvježbanog roba/vojnika Republike spremnog povinuti se svim krivim idealima pokvarenog rimskog visokog društva. Njegova osjećajnija strana najbolje se očituje kroz odnos s njegovom ženom Leom, Židovkom uvjerenom u dolazak Mesije.
Eventualno dolazi i ključni susret s Isusom, kojeg Poncije pokušava odraditi diplomatski, duboko uvjeren u svoj plan koji će osloboditi nevinog. No, na njegovo veliko iznenađenje, isti taj narod (i njihovi glavari i svećenici) koji je iščekivao svog Mesiju, radije je oslobodio razbojnika Barabu nego čovjeka koji je propovijedao mir, ljubav i siromaštvo. Neke njegove odluke morile su ga dugo nakon tih događaja. Postao je sretan tek kad je spoznao i oslobodio svog pravog sebe koji se godinama skrivao iza grubih regula rimskog društva i bezosjećajnosti koju su mu nametnuli drugi, od njegovih roditelj pa do samog Cara. Promijenio je stubokom odnos prema sebi, životu i drugima.
"Plakao sam, prvi put nakon majčine smrti. Ponovno se u meni rađalo ono dijete kojem nekada davno zabraniše da živi kao dijete, primoravši ga na život svojstven bešćutnim bićima."
Miro Gavran suvremeni je hrvatski književnik, romanopisac i dramaturg, autor koji je objavljivao u zemlji i inozemstvu. Poncije Pilat treće je djelo unutar kršćanske povijesne trilogije nakon Judite i Krstitelja u kojima se okreće nekim od likovima kršćanske ikonografije
Gavran humanizira u potpunosti lik Poncija Pilata, stavlja ga u povijesni kontekst, te zaista jednostavnim stilom dramskom izražajnošću sprovodi čitatelja od njegovog djetinjstva pa do novog rođenja negdje u poznijim godinama. Poncije je posvojeni sin rimskog moćnika i cijelo njegovo djetinjstvo bilo je usmjeravanje prema vojničkoj karijeri i uspon na rimskoj ljestvici uspjeha. Za jednog Rimljana nije bilo mjesta za emocije. Upravo to vojničko obrazovanje i bespogovorno slušanje vojničkih naredbi pretvori ga u savršen stroj za ubijanje, no Poncije uspijeva duboko u sebi ostati čovjek.
"Spoznah tada da svako lice može imati neočekivano naličje i da se bogovi često vole igrati našim uvjerenjima i osjećajima, dovodeći nas u zablude koje i najmoćnije čine najslabijima, a najmudrijima razum svode na pamet djeteta." (Str. 34.)
Autor se uz minimum esencijalnih povijesnih činjenica, okreće unutra prema likova, ponajviše prema Poncijevom odnosu s njima. Roman je napisao svjetovnim jezikom, poput prave povijesne drame, izbjegavajući vještu zamku katoličkog moraliziranja. Na mjesto namjesnika u Cezareji dolazi (nasuprot okrutnom namjesniku Galileje, omrznutom Herodu) u zrelom razdoblju svog života, odlučan ne iznevjeriti svog cara Tiberija. ("Griješimo kada preuzimamo mjerila drugih ljudi. Griješimo svaki puta kada ne slušamo svoje srce.") Poncije je dokaz da se cijeli život uči, ukoliko smo dovoljno otvoreni prema promjenama, drugačijima i onih otvorena srca. U njemu cijeli život kao da postoje dvije osobe, suosjećajna i razumna duša, a s druge strane praktična strana izvježbanog roba/vojnika Republike spremnog povinuti se svim krivim idealima pokvarenog rimskog visokog društva. Njegova osjećajnija strana najbolje se očituje kroz odnos s njegovom ženom Leom, Židovkom uvjerenom u dolazak Mesije.
Eventualno dolazi i ključni susret s Isusom, kojeg Poncije pokušava odraditi diplomatski, duboko uvjeren u svoj plan koji će osloboditi nevinog. No, na njegovo veliko iznenađenje, isti taj narod (i njihovi glavari i svećenici) koji je iščekivao svog Mesiju, radije je oslobodio razbojnika Barabu nego čovjeka koji je propovijedao mir, ljubav i siromaštvo. Neke njegove odluke morile su ga dugo nakon tih događaja. Postao je sretan tek kad je spoznao i oslobodio svog pravog sebe koji se godinama skrivao iza grubih regula rimskog društva i bezosjećajnosti koju su mu nametnuli drugi, od njegovih roditelj pa do samog Cara. Promijenio je stubokom odnos prema sebi, životu i drugima.
"Plakao sam, prvi put nakon majčine smrti. Ponovno se u meni rađalo ono dijete kojem nekada davno zabraniše da živi kao dijete, primoravši ga na život svojstven bešćutnim bićima."
May 30, 2023
Odlična!
April 17, 2015
"Griješimo kada preuzimamo mjerila drugih ljudi. Griješimo svaki puta kada ne slušamo svoje srce."
July 3, 2021
Ova knjiga ne samo da mi je postala jedna od najdražih ikad, nego me nagovorila da počnem čitati Gavrana, jer ovo je predivno. Predivno osmišljeno i napisano, dubina piščeve poruke savršena, ma čisto oduševljenje. Planiram pročitati i ostatak Gavranove biblijske trilogije, a onda i ostale njegove romane.
December 30, 2023
Knjiga “Poncije Pilat” zaključuje Gavranovu biblijsku trilogiju na inovativan način. Knjiga pruža originalan uvid u poznatu povijesnu ličnost Poncija Pilata, ne dirajući već poznate činjenice, već nudeći vlastite zamisli o životu ovog lika.
Roman istražuje događaje prije i nakon što je Pilat osudio Isusa na smrt, pokušavajući odgonetnuti tko bi mogla biti njegova žena i kakav utjecaj ona ima na njega.
Gavran izbjegava stereotipe i pedagoške elemente, pružajući čitateljima jednostavnu, ali nevjerojatnu priču o Pilatu.
Vješto koristeći nedostatak povijesnih podataka o Pilatu, gradi svoj roman oko stvarnih događaja, prikazujući kompleksno političko-religijsko okruženje judejske pokrajine u kojem se Pilat suočava s izazovima vlasti.
Kroz ovaj roman, Gavran oživljava Poncija Pilata kao ljudsku figuru, prikazujući njegova uvjerenja, razmišljanja i odluke na način koji je lako razumljiv u kontekstu vremena u kojem je živio.
Ovo mi nije jedno od najdražih Gavranovih djela pa je sigurno i to utjecalo na ocjenu ali može biti dosta dobar izbog za čitanje, osobito u Korizmeno vrijeme, ako vam ne smeta still pisanja koji obiluje aoristima.
Roman istražuje događaje prije i nakon što je Pilat osudio Isusa na smrt, pokušavajući odgonetnuti tko bi mogla biti njegova žena i kakav utjecaj ona ima na njega.
Gavran izbjegava stereotipe i pedagoške elemente, pružajući čitateljima jednostavnu, ali nevjerojatnu priču o Pilatu.
Vješto koristeći nedostatak povijesnih podataka o Pilatu, gradi svoj roman oko stvarnih događaja, prikazujući kompleksno političko-religijsko okruženje judejske pokrajine u kojem se Pilat suočava s izazovima vlasti.
Kroz ovaj roman, Gavran oživljava Poncija Pilata kao ljudsku figuru, prikazujući njegova uvjerenja, razmišljanja i odluke na način koji je lako razumljiv u kontekstu vremena u kojem je živio.
Ovo mi nije jedno od najdražih Gavranovih djela pa je sigurno i to utjecalo na ocjenu ali može biti dosta dobar izbog za čitanje, osobito u Korizmeno vrijeme, ako vam ne smeta still pisanja koji obiluje aoristima.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews