Illustrations to “The City” are displayed on the streets of Kyiv

Illustrations to Valerian Pidmohylnyi’s novel “The City” are now featured on the buildings and fences of Podil, one of the districts in Kyiv. Graffiti artist Maksym Pavliuk hosted an art event to celebrate the re-release of the Ukrainian classics series by Osnovy Publishing.

Seventeen illustrations were printed as vibrant color posters and displayed mostly in Podil district. Some of the locations are directly connected to events and characters in the novel, while others are just busy public spaces.

Pavliuk employs a style that blends abstraction, symbolism, and psychological approach to portray the inner emotions of book characters. Seven years ago, Pavliuk first brought his sketches to the streets of Kyiv. He later used photography to adapt the illustrations for the 2017 edition of “The City.”

The publishing house’s website features an interactive map with marked locations where posters from “The City” are displayed.

For the first time since 1929, the reprint of the “City” by Osnovy Publishing reproduces the authentic text of the second lifetime publication of the novel, which is probably the version that best reflects the author’s will. The new edition is also supplemented with an afterword by Ukrainian literary scholar and editor Yaryna Tsymbal.

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Image: Osnovy Publishing

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn