Every Easter the 'miracle' of the Holy Fire is re-enacted in front of hundreds of the faithful in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. 'Holy Fire' presents the battle waged by Christian churchmen for their saviour's empty tomb. Victoria Clark deftly weaves a fascinating account that includes the aggressive campaigns of medieval Crusaders, the empire-building of the nineteenth-century European powers, Britain's decision to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine in 1917, and today's zealous, though unlikely, champions of Israel's cause, the Christian Zionists. She explores the contribution that the Christian world has made to the unfolding tragedy of the Holy Land - at a time when it has never been more urgent for the West to see itself as others see it. Victoria Clark worked for the Observer in Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Russia from 1990 to 1996, reporting the Croatian, Bosnian and first Chechen wars. Her first book, Why Angels Fall, was published in 2000 to great acclaim, followed by The Far-Farers in 2003.
