Levchenko Semen.For Liberty and the State.London, 1966

Levchenko Semen. For Freedom and Sovereignty: A Novel of the Liberation Struggles / Introductory Essay by Mykola Veres; Illustrations by Robert Lisovsky.

London: Ukrainian Publishers Ltd., 1966. — 494 pp.: ill. — 22 × 15 cm. — Published by the author and his wife. Print run not stated.

In the original green publisher's dust jacket with graphic illustration. Foxing on individual sheets, natural yellowing of the paper; the binding is firm, the text is complete. Library stamps on the title page. Condition: good.

The book has historical and cultural value and is of collector's interest.

INFORMATION

A four-part novel about the years 1918–1920: the march on Moscow, battles with Bolshevik troops, losses, and feats of the Ukrainian army. Each part opens with an epigraph from a Ukrainian song. Parallel English title — "For Freedom and Sovereignty".

Semen Levchenko was a major in the Ukrainian army and a direct participant in the events described, so the novel is based on his own memory rather than archives. The introductory essay was written by Mykola Veres. The illustrations were done by Robert Lisovsky (1893–1982) — a graphic artist, student of Heorhii Narbut, and designer of dozens of diaspora publications and the "Tryzub" emblem.

The book was published in London before the 50th anniversary of the liberation struggles of 1917–1921, at the expense of the author and his wife. Such editions by the author rarely entered the bookstore network and circulated among veteran communities, so they are infrequently found in circulation.