130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

City of Lions

3.99 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 179 ratings, 25 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
City of Lions by Philippe Sands and Jozef Wittlin explores the intertwined histories and personal stories of Lviv, a city rich in cultural heritage and conflict. The book offers a deep dive into the lives affected by the city's turbulent history, painting a vivid picture of its diverse communities and historical events over the decades. It's a poignant reflection on memory, identity, and the passage of time in a place of profound historical significance.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3299
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the layered history of Lviv, a city marked by cultural convergence and historical upheaval. Offering a unique perspective, it intertwines personal memoirs with broader historical narratives, giving readers an intimate glimpse into the past that shaped modern Europe. If you appreciate tales of resilience and the complex histories of Central Europe, this work will resonate with you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Lviv, Lwow, Lvov, Lemberg. Known by a variety of names, the City of Lions is now in western Ukraine. Situated in different countries during its history, it is a city located along the fault-lines of Europe's history.

City of Lions presents two essays, written more than half a century apart - but united by one city.

Jozef Wittlin's sensual and lyrical paean to his Lwow, written in exile, is a deep cry of love and pain for his city, where most people he knew have fled or been killed.

Philippe Sands' finely honed exploration of what has been lost and what remains interweaves a lawyer's love of evidence with the emotional heft of a descendant of Lviv.

With an illuminating preface by Eva Hoffman and stunning new photographs by Diana Matar, City of Lions is a powerful and melancholy evocation of central Europe in the twentieth century, with a special resonance for today's troubled continent.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

City of Lions, by Philippe Sands and Jozef Wittlin, features a blend of reflective prose and historical narrative that draws a vivid picture of Lviv in different eras. The book contrasts Sands' balanced essay with Wittlin's more erratic style, creating a haunting and evocative portrayal of the city. It receives praise for its meditative exploration of memory, politics, and the passage of time, as well as for its prose described as both beautiful and haunting.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781805330011

Publisher: Pushkin Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 May 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pushkin Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
  • Introduction by Eva Hoffman
  • Contributions by Diana Matar
  • Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Jozef Wittlin (born 1896) was a major Polish poet, novelist, essayist and translator. He studied in Vienna, where he met Joseph Roth and Rainer Maria Rilke, before serving in the Austro-Hungarian army in the First World War. He published one novel and numerous collections of poetry, many of which were characterised by their strong pacifist sentiments. With the outbreak of WWII he fled to France and then to New York, where he died in 1976.Philippe Sands is a professor of Law at University College London. He specialises in International Law and International disputes. He has also published many books, including East West Street and The Ratline.

Also by Jozef Wittlin

View all
  • The Salt of the Earth
    At the beginning of the twentieth century, the villagers of the Carpathian mountains lead a simple life, much as they have always done. The modern world has yet to reach the inhabitants of this remote region of the Habsburg Empire. Among them is Piotr, a bandy-legged peasant, who wants nothing more from life than an official railway cap, a cottage,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Also by Philippe Sands

View all
  • East West Street
    THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE and THE JQ-WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER β€˜A monumental achievement: profoundly personal, told with love, anger and great precision’ - John le CarrΓ© β€˜One of the most gripping and powerful books imaginable’ - SUNDAY TIMES In East West Street, international...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Last Colony
    FROM THE WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE and author of East West Street THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Should be read by anyone who cares about justice, humanity and human rights' – Elif Shafak 'An essential account' – Sunday Times 'Powerful and persuasive . . . superb' – Abdulrazak Gurnah 'An urgent reminder that Britain’s colonial rule isn’t our...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Ratline
    The Sunday Times Bestseller From the Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize The Ratline by Philippe Sands is an enthralling historical investigation into one of the most intriguing and enigmatic figures of the Nazi regime, Otto Freiherr von WΓ€chter. This meticulously researched narrative delves into the hidden life of WΓ€chter, who, with his wife Charlotte, navigated the treacherous waters of...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 38 Londres Street
    'An indelible and enthralling work of moral witness' PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE 'These questions of memory and impunity are forever timely' FINANCIAL TIMES 'An extraordinary achievement . . . I read with open mouth and thumping heart' STEPHEN FRY The house at 38 Londres Street in Santiago, Chile, is home to the legacies of two men whose personal stories span continents,...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    Backorder
    Ships late October
  • East West Street
    A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE DECADE AND WINNER OF: The Baillie Gifford Prize The JQ-Wingate Literary Prize The British Book Awards Non-fiction Book of the Year The Hay Festival Medal for Prose 'One of the most gripping and powerful books imaginable' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES When he receives an invitation to deliver a lecture in the Ukrainian city of...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • 38 Londres Street
    In the heart of Santiago, the infamous 38 Londres Street becomes the haunting backdrop for a riveting tale that intertwines the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in London, the post-war life of senior SS officer Walther Rauff in Chilean Patagonia, and the sinister connections between the two men. Rauff, responsible for the wartime horrors of mobile gas vans, flees justice after...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from History & Military

View all
  • Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Cauldron
    How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Wager
    THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Golden Menhir
    Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • All The Presidents' Wars
    New Release
    All The Presidents' Wars
    From a multiple New York Times bestselling author, here is an eye-opening history of the United States' war on terror across four presidential administrations. The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: 'Either you are with us,...
    Paperback
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Keep Calm – We Are Coming
    Keep Calm β€” We Are Coming briefly backgrounds the New Zealand Special Air Service deployment in Afghanistan β€” then goes into action. While primarily training Afghan forces, in Kabul the NZSAS had to respond to a series of β€˜spectacular attacks’ by heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests and determined to inflict major casualties. In the words of those who...
    Paperback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Shattered Lands
    'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Biological War
    New Release
    Biological War
    There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200,000 copies sold). A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.