John the Baptizer: A Novel [Hardcover]

Brooks Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2009

A vivid, moving, and unprecedented biographical saga of John the Baptist.

Traditionally, John the Baptist is seen as little more than an opening act—“the voice crying in the wilderness”—in the great Christian drama. In presenting the epic of John’s life, novelist Brooks Hansen draws on an extraordinary array of inspirations, from the works of Caravaggio, Bach, and Oscar Wilde to the histories of Josephus, the canonical gospels, the Gnostic gospels, and the sacred texts of those followers of John who never accepted Jesus as Messiah: the Mandeans.

Gripping as literary historical fiction, and fascinating as a diligent exploration of ancient and modern sources, this book brings to eye-opening life the richly textured world—populated by the magnificently sordid, calculating, and reckless Herods, their families, and their courts—into which both John and Jesus were born. John the Baptizer is a captivating tapestry of power and dissent, ambition and self-sacrifice, worldly and otherworldly desire, faith, and doubt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In fictionalizing the life of John the Baptist, Hansen (The Brotherhood of Joseph) reveals the messy humanity behind the saint. Even readers with a passing knowledge of Christianity will find John's fate laid out on the first page—his head is brought to King Herod upon a platter. Hansen's meticulously researched narrative sets John's life in a wide context, omitting little, for better or for worse: from John's childhood lessons to his emergence as a prophet and his capture and execution, readers find themselves immersed in the biblical world. The visceral descriptions of suffering, such as the death of Herod's father or the cistern in which John is held captive, bring religious figures into the gritty realm of the grotesque. Yet Hansen still retains a sense of wonder in his subjects: when John's mother gives birth after a lifetime of barrenness, or when John baptizes his Messiah-cousin, the flesh-and-blood characters step back into their familiar stained-glass poses and become larger than life. The juxtaposition of stark realism and religious loftiness has its perplexing moments, but it's precisely what will keep the pages turning. (June)
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From Booklist

Few other New Testament narratives adapt so readily to fictionalization as the melodrama of John the Baptist. Hansen imagines not just John’s grisly end but also the whole narrative of his life. In a particularly well realized scene, John’s father, Zechariah, aged and childless, encounters the angel Gabriel, who promises him a son and demands his silence till the baby is born. The political ferment of the times adds many layers of complexity and intrigue. The desert-dwelling Essene community of John’s retreat contrasts with the royal clan’s decadence. Hansen’s tale brings fisherman brothers Andrew and Peter into John’s circle before their encounter with Jesus, Andrew’s river baptism by John ringing with the cadences of Hebrew poetry rendered into vibrant English. Maps and genealogical tables guide readers through the welter of characters. --Mark Knoblauch

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393069478
• ISBN-13: 978-0393069471
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful, June 12, 2009

By 

Molly Quinn - See all my reviews

This review is from: John the Baptizer: A Novel (Hardcover)

I didn't feel like I was reading, but seeing and feeling and experiencing this beautiful, profound and surprising story. I felt like I was reading a classic - A truly important work. If you haven't read any of Mr. Hansen's work before, then read John the Baptizer. I'm not the first to say this, but he really is "the most imaginative and talented novelist of his generation." Read it!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joy for John, June 7, 2009

By 

Keleigh Crigler Hadley (author of the Preacher's Kids series) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John the Baptizer: A Novel (Hardcover)

How does that saying go, "Walk a mile in another man's moccasin before you criticize him." ?

After reading John the Baptizer, I felt like I had walked a mile in his sand covered sandals. I used to view John as the comic relief figure in the New Testament. Just another PK that went a little crazy due to all the pressure on him. But, now I view him a great man of faith, vision, and courage.

Hansen wrote a completely engrossing tale that allowed me to empathize with John and the other well drawn supporting characters, i.e. his father the priest, Zechariah.

Oh, now I remember how the saying goes, "Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and have their shoes."

I have no criticism for this well written novel. Well worth your time and money.

Keleigh Crigler Hadley author [...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus Christ, this man can write!!, December 23, 2010

By 

Marc Polonsky "marcwordsmith" (sonoma county, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John the Baptizer: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm not a Christian, but this impossibly beautiful, compelling story comes close to making me want to convert.

John's spirituality is of an ascetic variety--by comparison, even Jesus himself is viewed as suspiciously profligate (water into wine indeed!) by some of John's most devoted followers--and yet that asceticism seems so appropriate for the context of that time, and John has so much heart it's heartbreaking. The baptism scenes, particularly the baptism of Andrew (told from Andrew's point of view) are so affecting, I'm convinced I could and would have been a follower too. The royal politics that ultimately necessitate John's arrest are intriguing and nuanced and horrifying (of course); John's crisis of faith in prison--the spiritual suffering being so much more profound than the brutal physical punishment they inflict on him--is so poignant and brilliantly rendered . . . and there are so many other elements of sheer storytelling power and archetypal resonance in this work, I come away feeling like I've been holding a book made of fire and the voice of the author is some sort of modern literary version of revealed Truth. Enjoy!