The Shoes of the Fisherman
The Illustrations for a Ukrainian-language edition of a novel The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963) by Australian writer's Morris West. The novel is a bestseller and is translated into many languages. In 1968 the novel was filmed and the main character was played by Anthony Quinn.
At the center of the event is Ukrainian Cyril Lakota, a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite in the Soviet Union during World War II. Realism dominates the novel. It is imbued with idealistic themes and motives: human dignity, love in different personalities, the elusive mystery of evil, the authority of the Church, the attempt at a harmonious understanding between faith and science, the mission of the Church in the modern world. Accordingly, the realistic and somewhat old-school manner was chosen for illustrations as well. The edition includes 10 one-color illustrations and one for the three-tone cover.
Morris West was inspired by the life story of a Ukrainian Metropolitan Josyf Slipyj. Soviet government exiled Josyf Slipyj for 18 years in Siberian camps. In 1963 he was released from exile due to Pope John's petition. The Metropolitan arrived to Rome and didn't come back to the USSR because of the categorical ban on Soviet power.
Portraits of the protagonist are drawn from photographs of Joseph Slipy.
Portraits of the protagonist are drawn from photographs of Joseph Slipy.
In 2019 the novel was published in a Ukrainian translation by Iryna Ivankovych, Lviv publishing house "ARTOS" on the occasion of three anniversaries: the 35th anniversary of the departure for eternity of Patriarch Joseph Slipy (1892-1984), the 45th anniversary of the Religious Society of Ukrainian Catholics "Saint Sophia"(USA) and the 50th anniversary of St.Sophia Cathedral in Rome.
