Glory

The Gospel of Judas, A Novel

By Giuseppe Berto; Translated by Gregory Conti; Foreword by Alessandro Vettori

SERIES: Other Voices of Italy

Rutgers University Press

Christ’s nemesis Judas Iscariot remains a shadowy figure in the four canonical gospels, which give contradictory reasons for why this rogue disciple betrays Christ. But how would Judas himself explain his motives?

In Glory, Italian modernist Giuseppe Berto’s final novel, Judas finally tells his side of the story. From his perspective, Jesus is the betrayer, a would-be political activist and social reformer who fails to live up to his promises. And by fulfilling his predestined role in the drama of Christ’s death and resurrection, Judas himself is partly responsible for humanity’s salvation, enabling them to be redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice. As the novel probes into the psychological motivations behind his rejection of Jesus’ authority, Judas emerges as a compelling conflicted character, a man who seeks to have agency even when he knows his actions are being scripted by a higher power. Through Judas’s searing tortured monologues, this late masterpiece from one of Italy’s greatest writers investigates deep questions about the nature of faith, rebellion, fate, and free will.

Giuseppe Berto's thoughtful and eloquent Judas brings to life the mystery and charisma of the person of Jesus. In this profound meditation on the paradoxes at the center of the Christian story, we witness Judas learning a humbling truth, namely that divine glory comes only at the cost of human shame.' David Brakke, author of The Gospel of Judas: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

The life of Jesus has been transformed into a psychological thriller narrated by Judas, an unreliable yet captivating narrator. All too human in his quest for redemption, Judas longs to achieve faith but is gripped instead by enchantment. Keith Holyoak, author of The Gospel According to Judas

A work of great stylistic and thematic importance...a stark and arduous book, the fruit of a continual re-reading of the 'Scriptures of the Eternal.' Silvio Perrella, author of Calvino

Giuseppe Berto’s last novel is an original, relentless, and profound monologue, in which Judas Iscariot tells the story of Jesus and explains his own betrayal. Artfully translated by Gregory Conti, it folds past and present together and explores timeless themes of innocence, responsibility, sacrifice, and love. Francesca Parmeggiani, professor of Italian and comparative literature at Fordham University

Berto’s labor... is a mediation fixed to and developed on the joists of the Gospels, but where in the end, the upper hand belongs to the consciousness of our suffering and above all to the certainty of the futility and the impossibility of the word of Christ. Carlo Bo (1911-2001), Rector Emeritus of the University of Urbino

Mastery of literary technique makes the reader sensorially present in first-century Palestine. One feels oneself to be Judas and relives his experience from the inside, shedding his prayers and tears over the dilemmas of loving, the enigma of evil, and the perplexity of being humanly free yet fulfilling a destined 'glory.' In this wrenchingly profound probing of the Messianic mystery, we peer with Judas into the dark abyss of how a Galilean prophet came to be revealed as God. William Franke, professor of comparative literature at Vanderbilt University

Giuseppe Berto’s Glory: The Gospel of Judas is a daring and thought-provoking rewriting of the most significant moments of the Christian sacred narratives. Gregory Conti’s accurate translation will certainly renew our interest in one of Italy’s most complex and unique modern writers. One doesn’t need to be a Christian to appreciate Berto’s inquisitive and rewarding approach to the religious texts that have exerted a profound influence on the Western world. Armando Maggi, Arthur and Joann Rasmussen Professor of Western Civilization, University of Chicago

GIUSEPPE BERTO (1914–1978) was born in a small town in Veneto, Italy, and went on to author numerous screenplays, short stories, and novels, including The Sky Is Red, written during his time as a P. O. W. in Texas. A controversial author in postwar Italy, Berto was nevertheless the recipient of the Viareggio Prize and the Campiello Prize, and his work has drawn more critical attention in recent years. He is the author of Oh, Serafina! (Rutgers University Press).

GREGORY CONTI has over twenty-five published translations, including works by Emilio Lussu, Rosetta Loy, and Paolo Rumiz. His most recent translations include novels by Giuseppe Berto (Oh, Serafina!: A Fable of Ecology, Lunacy, and Love, Rutgers University Press, 2023) and Edoardo Nesi (My Shadow is Yours). He has lived in Perugia, Italy, since 1985.
ALESSANDRO VETTORI is a professor of Italian and comparative literature at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. He is the author of several books, including Giuseppe Berto: La passione della scrittura (Marsilio Editore, 2013), and is a coeditor of the Other Voices of Italy series at Rutgers University Press.

Foreword, "The Betrayal of Judas," Alessandro Vettori
Translator's Note, Gregory Conti
Author's Note

Glory: The Gospel of Judas

Translator's Afterword
Notes on Contributors

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