The Blood of the Martyrs (Paperback, Main)

Published in England in 1939, this is Whittlesey's "top Fall fiction title" with a pre-publication of 25,000 and an initial advertising appropriation over $5,000. As an historical novelist the author handles her Rome of the early Christians expertly, and makes a holding story of many roads to The Way that slave and noble alike found. The first part contains the stories of the means by which individuals were joined in Jesus' name, particularly that of Beric, a Briton and son of a king, now bound to the house of Crispus, Lalage, the dancer, and Phaon who was saved to be a deacon; the latter part of the book tells of the growing persecution and pursuit by Tigellinus and his secret police, and the climax of the Christians' martyrdom with the collapse of the Piso conspiracy to assassinate Nero. Here is the chain of consequences that leads to faith, the strength found in fellow-worshippers, the knowledge of personal freedom which has no relation to physical slavery, the intensity of belief that made death for that belief dignified, courageous and worthwhile, that promises a never ending story while such faith lives. A novel - which like I Claudius in the detailing of all accents of the period - that should have its place among the religious audience as well as the general reading public, this, in placing history above histrionics, makes vital the concepts and power of Christianity. (Kirkus Reviews)

Introduced by Donald Smith. Set in Rome during Nero's reign of terror, The Blood of the Martyrs is a disciplined historical novel tracing the destruction of one cell of the early church. With a cast of slaves, ordinary Roman people, exiles and entertainers, it is thorough in its historical interpretation and in its determination to make the past accessible and readable. Written in 1938-9, the novel contains many symbolic parallels to the rise of European fascism in the 1930s and the desperate plight of persecuted minorities such as the Jews and the left-wing activists with whom Naomi Mitchison personally campaigned at the time. With the invasion of Britain a real possibility, she felt compelled to write a testament to the power of human solidarity which, even faced with death, can overcome the worst that human evil can achieve. The Blood of the Martyrs is the least autobiographical of Mitchison's major works of fiction, yet, with its implicit credo, is her most passionately self-revealing.

General

Imprint:	Canongate Classics
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Canongate Classics, 5
Release date:	September 1990
First published:	2001
Authors:	Naomi Mitchison
Introduction by:	Donald Smith
Dimensions:	197 x 128 x 28mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	432
Edition:	Main
ISBN-13:	978-0-86241-192-3
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
LSN:	0-86241-192-0
Barcode:	9780862411923

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