Leonardo’s Handwriting


Author
Dina Rubina

Format
Novel, 2009
464 pp

Genre
Metaphysical romance, drama
Title
Leonardo’s Handwriting

Aesthetics
Gripping, atmospheric, engrossing, passionate, sensual

References
The Prestige, Christopher Nolan, 2006
The Carnivale, Daniel Knauf, 2003-2005
Big Fish, Tim Burton, 2003
The Illusionist, Neil Burger, 2006

Sales points
Finalist of the Big Book Award 2020 (2nd prize in Reader’s Choice)
Shortlisted for the Big Book Award 2015
Finalist of the Russian Prize 2009
Winner of the International Portal Prize 2009 (Ukraine)
Winner of the Big Book Award 2007 (3rd Prize)
Shortlisted for the Russian Booker Prize 2007
Longlisted for the Yasnaya Polyana Award 2007
Pitch
In a mesmerizing tale spanning decades from the 1960s to the early aughts, Anna, a talented circus stunt artist with the extraordinary ability of mirror handwriting and clairvoyance gift, becomes entangled in a passionate love triangle. But when she vanishes under baffling circumstances, the investigation delves into the secretive world of circus and optical illusions, unraveling Anna's dark family history.

Synopsis
A fascinating journey into the remarkable life of Anna, a gifted circus stunt artist with a unique clairvoyance gift. With unwavering confidence, she embraces her role in the universe and takes control of her destiny, pushing the boundaries of freedom. The narrative unfolds from Anna's birth until her gripping final moments, as an investigation ensues following her inexplicable disappearance during one of her famed mirror paradox performances. Yet, it is through the lens of the men who loved her that we truly come to know Anna: her ex-husband, a childhood acquaintance; her show partner; and her musician lover, each perspective adding depth and complexity to the portrait of this extraordinary woman. We see her as a boyish girl, fit and muscular, like a tightly-wound spring, ready to unleash her fierce talent; or as a musical instrument, perfectly attuned to an intimate melody while making love—a scene that transcends the ordinary.
As Anna embarks on her nomadic lifestyle, perpetually in search of self-discovery or perhaps fleeing her own true nature, we are transported across a tapestry of locations spanning the collapsed Soviet Union to the vast expanse of Western Europe. The story finds depth and vibrancy in Anna's childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, particularly within the Jewish diaspora.
The circus itself becomes a captivating backdrop, embracing the extraordinary and defying conventions.
Join us on a mesmerizing odyssey that explores themes of love, identity, and the pursuit of freedom.
About the author
Dina Rubina is an Israeli Russian-language writer. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1953, Dina Rubina had her first stories published in 1970s in Yunost magazine. She has received numerous awards, and is the bestselling author of over 40 titles, including fifteen novels. Dina Rubina’s novels and novellas have been made into films, adapted for TV, and staged in theaters in Russia and Israel. Dina Rubina is the Big Book Award winner in 2007 and 2020 (reader’s choice) for the novels On the Sunny Side of the Street and Napoleon’s Train, respectively. In 2009 she won one of the Russian Literature prizes for the novel The White Dove of Cordoba.
Each new title by Dina Rubina is published in a first printing of 50,000 to 80,000 copies. The total printing of the author’s work is over two million copies.
Since 1990 Dina Rubina has lived in Ma’ale-Adumim, Israel with her family, artist Boris Karafelov, her daughter, and grandchildren.