[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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