Behind a gruesome ISIS beheading video lies the untold story of the men in orange and the faith community that formed these unlikely modern-day saints and heroes.
Martin Mosebach passed his bar exams to qualify as a lawyer in 1979, and then established himself as a writer. His first novel was published in 1983. Since then, he has received many accolades, including the Heinrich von Kleist Prize, the Georg Büchner Prize, and the Goethe Award. Alta L. Price runs a publishing consultancy specialized in literature and nonfiction texts on art, architecture, history, and culture. A recipient of the Gutekunst Prize, she translates from Italian and German into English.
"Martin Mosebach is a superb journalist. Virtually nothing escapes
his gaze, and he glosses over nothing." —Hannes Stein, Die
Welt
"Few contemporary writers have delved so deeply into the disturbing
experiences of such an entirely different world and way of
life."—HR 2
"Mosebach has mastered a rare art: maintaining deep respect for the
other. . . . Not a single detail loses its magic in this moving,
impressive book: it reads like a ray of light, illuminating Western
blind spots and foreign worlds."—Alexander Cammann, Die Zeit
"Martin Mosebach is undoubtedly one of the most intelligent,
original, and powerfully eloquent poets of the present day."—Ulrich
Greiner, Die Zeit
"Mosebach provides striking images of a singular Christianity
unfamiliar to many Christians outside of the Middle East.… Through
immersive scenes and finely drawn portraits of the people he meets,
he exhibits a clear admiration for the Coptic devotion on every
page. This will appeal to Christians as well as readers wanting to
understand the lives of minorities in Muslim countries."—Publishers
Weekly
"Mosebach has a novelist's insight and way with words. The 21 is
also a fine piece of journalism. It helps us to understand, if not
the ferocity of the killers, the quiet heroism--the ordinary
heroism, perhaps--of the martyrs."—Christian Today
"Although I would like very much to visit Egypt, I think I never
would have seen all the things Mosebach was able to see. What he
has written is a meditation on the profound sense of prayer he
found in the Coptic Church, the depth of mystery in her liturgy,
the valor of the witness of a minority that has been persecuted for
1,400 years, the reality of faith to be experienced in the poor and
the powerless."—Msgr. Richard Antall, Angelus News
"Mosebach asks us to not look away but rather to look directly into
the faces and lives of these martyrs. By doing so we of the lands
of plenty and waning faith may find something that we have lost and
may yet regain…but not without cost."—Cornerstone Forum
"Take[s] us deep into the lives and churches of these Coptic
believers, with Mosebach exhibiting an attention to detail
befitting his novelistic gifts….We gain a rich impression of what
shaped the lives and faith of these martyrs, and we witness how
their martyrdom reverberates to this day through their families,
churches, and communities."—Christianity Today
"Richly rewarding… In a strikingly brief space, Mosebach has much
to tell us about each of the martyrs as individuals and about their
families. The 21 is also deeply informative about the state of
Coptic Egypt, and about martyrdom, and even about Coptic liturgy.
The book’s only flaw is that it is so emotionally moving that it is
difficult to read without frequent breaks."—Philip Jenkins,
Christian Century
"In this remarkable book, Mosebach doesn’t simply avoid the
standard Western narratives but turns the tables on them. He is not
interested in providing a lurid account of barbarities from which
we, in our secular sophistication, are immune, or in explaining
away the miracles in the lives of the devout poor, or, still less,
in telling us how to regard radical Islam, formulate a foreign
policy for the Middle East, or help persecuted Christians abroad,
much as they could use our help. Rather, he wants to show
Christians – in the West and elsewhere – what these migrant workers
can teach us about living our own faith."—Commonweal Magazine
"The twenty-one Libya martyrs have given the world an example of
faithful, resilient Christian witness that has touched and brought
together the full breadth of Christian expression around the world.
Their prayers in the face of death have not only resonated with
Christians, but have also encouraged people of all faiths to stand
for one another. I am grateful for Martin Mosebach’s faithful
depiction of these courageous men, their families, communities, and
church." —Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church
"A consuming work on the history and contemporary life of Coptic
Christians. . . . Through immersive scenes and finely drawn
portraits of the people he meets, Mosebach exhibits a clear
admiration for the Copts’ devotion on every page." —Publishers
Weekly
"Mosebach’s The 21 is an excellent example of a book that clearly
states its goal and successfully achieves it. The choice of
diction, the stylistic approach, the commitment to not
overgeneralize, and the deep understanding of history and theology
all come together to take the reader on a remarkable journey into
the heart of Coptic Egypt." —Agape Review
"Martin Mosebach has riveted readers with this work, [which] puts
the lie to [the] observation that “our problem is that we no longer
have martyrs. We only have celebrities.” As a matter of fact, we
hear that the Middle East has had a flood of conversions to Christ
from Islam, precisely due to the noble witness not only of “The 21″
but of hundreds more of common folk who have preferred death to
betrayal of their Lord and Savior." — The Catholic World Report
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