A God in Need of Help

By Sean Dixon

Nominated for the 2014 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama



It's 1606 and Europe is at war over God. At the behest of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, Venice's four strongest men are charged with transporting a holy painting - Albrecht Dürer's The Brotherhood of the Rosary - across the Alps to Prague. In the small Alpine village of Pusterwald, they are set upon by Protestant zealots; their escape is attributed to a miracle.



The strongmen and their captain are summoned to an inquiry, led by the magistrate of Venice and the cardinal archbishop of Milan, to determine whether something divine did indeed occur. Each man's recounting adds a layer of colour to the canvas.



Through this vividly painted mystery, inspired by true events, Sean Dixon challenges the role of faith at thedawn of the Age of Reason.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coach House Books
• Release date: Apr 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781770563803

Sean Dixon

Sean Dixon is a full-time writer, occasional essayist, stage actor and banjoist. He gave up jobs as a shipper-receiver, a poster boy (of the putting up on billboards variety) and a prison driver to become a writer. His young adult novel, The Feathered Cloak, was published by Key Porter in Autumn 2007. He lives and plays banjo in Toronto and is currently working on his next novel for HarperCollins.

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