[Aaus-list] novel about Lviv "Seven Signs of the Lion" released
Michael Naydan
mmn3 at psu.edu
Mon Oct 31 11:22:15 EDT 2016
The novel "Seven Signs of the Lion" that is largely about the city of
Lviv has been released by Glagoslav Publishers. It is available on
amazon.com as a Kindle ebook and will soon be available at the site in
hardback and paperback editions:
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Signs-Lion-Michael-Naydan-ebook/dp/B01MA3VE1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477926972&sr=8-1&keywords=naydan+seven+signs
It is available at the publisher's website in all possible editions:
http://www.glagoslav.com/en/Book/4/171/Seven-Signs-of-the-Lion.html
The novel Seven Signs of the Lion is a magical journey to the city of
Lviv in Western Ukraine. Part magical realism, part travelogue, part
adventure novel, and part love story, it is a fragmented, hybrid work
about a mysterious and mythical place. The hero of the novel Nicholas
Bilanchuk is a gatherer of living souls, the unique individuals he meets
over the course of his five-month stay in his ancestral homeland. These
include the enigmatic Mr. Viktor, who, with one eye that always
glimmers, in a dream summons him across the Atlantic Ocean to the city
of lions, becoming his spiritual mentor; the genius mathematician
Professor Potojbichny (a man of science with a mystical bent and whose
name means “man from the other side”); the exquisite beauty Ada, whose
name suggests “woman from Hades” in Ukrainian, whose being emanates
irresistible sensuality, but who never lets anyone capture her beauty in
a picture; the schizophrenic artist Ivan the Ghostseer, who lives in a
bohemian hovel of a basement apartment and in an alcohol-induced trance
paints the spirits of the city that torment him; and the curly-haired
elfin Raya, whose name suggests “paradise” in Ukrainian and who becomes
the primary guide and companion for Nicholas on his journey to
self-realization.
The hero is summoned to the land of his ancestors to find the “seven
signs of the lion” in a mysterious quest. The multicultural and unique
architectural aspects of the “city of lions” with its medieval old town
dating back several centuries is showcased. Part cultural history, the
novel deals with the legends and myths surrounding the city and its
environs. Anglophone readers will be introduced to a country, a people
and a culture that largely remain undiscovered for them.
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