Bestseller
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) combines the romance, melodrama, and spiritual piety common in the sentimental novels of the nineteenth century with the action, adventure, and intrigue found in the more lurid tales of the day. The story takes its Jewish hero, Judah Ben-Hur, across the Roman Empire of the first century, initially on a quest for revenge against the Roman childhood friend who betrayed him and then finally on a more spiritual quest to understand the nature of the new teacher Jesus Christ.
Lew Wallace said that he wrote
Ben-Hur as a way of sorting out his own beliefs concerning God and Christ. In the process, he inspired the faith of millions of readers, prompting many clergy of the day to reverse their churches long-held opposition to novels and actually encourage their congregations to read
Ben-Hur.
About the author
Lew Wallace (1827-1905) lived a life that was perhaps as fascinating as that of his famous literary creation. Wallace became a lawyer, was elected to the Indiana state senate, and rose to the rank of major-general in the Union army during the Civil War. After the war, he went on a secret mission to Mexico in support of President Benito Juárez. Later, he was appointed governor of territorial New Mexico, where he was able to convince Billy the Kid to testify against other outlaws. He was even appointed minister to the Sultan of Turkey by President James Garfield, a fan of the authors writing.
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