BIBLICAL SUBTEXT IN SIMO MATAVULJ’S SHORT STORY ABIMELEC

Abstract

The paper examines the significance of the biblical subtext in Simo Matavulj’s short story Abimelech. The short story has been analyzed by the method of gradually finding biblical motives so that the intertextual relation has been established with the Book of Job, the Gospel of Matthew, the Book of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine, the First Book of Moses ... Already at the first reading, through the biblical quotations given in the text, we can discern the biblical subtext. The Bible quotations are given at the beginning of the chapters. The main character, Abi- melech, tells the story of his life of sufferings. An important link in this story is his younger br- other, Ehud, about thirty days old, whose life’s ending awakes a cry in Abimelech’s soul and a volcano in his head. What lies in the basis is the biblical story of the terrible massacre of Jewish children during the reign of Herod (the motive of suffering and sacrifice), the act of spiritual tran- sformation through suffering and the biblical idea of unfailing love of God and those who are believers.