City of Lions: Portrait of a city in two acts: Lviv, then and now

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.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
Imprint: PUSHKIN PRESS
Publication date: 25/05/2023
Illustrator: Matar, Diana