Faith Alone: The Heart of Everything (Giertz)

Author: Bo Giertz

ISBN: 9781948969352

Binding: paperback

Section: Fiction

Bo Giertz wrote Faith Alone in 1943 as a prequel to his better-known novel, The Hammer of God. Set between 1540 and 1543, it covers the largest peasant revolt in the history of Scandinavia. The plot follows the story of two brothers, Anders and Martin, whose mother wished that these two brothers would become priests in the Catholic Church. They are sent to study for the priesthood in the town of Linköping, Sweden, and at the same time the Reformation begins in Germany, and Sweden fights for independence from Denmark, breaking the Kalmar Union. In response, Martin became a Lutheran and left for Stockholm to work for King Gustav Vasa as a scrivener, and his brother Anders continued with his studies and became a Catholic priest.