www.ludmilafilipova.eu

Bulgaria, Sofia, Thursday 3th April 2014 - Egmont Bulgaria is delighted to announce the English language release of the most popular book for 2010 in Bulgaria – Dante’s Antichthon by the well-known Bulgarian contemporary novelist Ludmila Filipova. The book will have its premiere on Tuesday 8th April, within The London Book Fair, at the Piccadilly room in Earl’s Court Exhibition center from 11:00 a.m., and would be available as paperback edition and also as e-book from Amazon and iBookstore.

Dante’s Antichthon is an unique book that confronts topics like the mirror image figures of Dante and Thracian musician Orpheus; the secret of the Tenth Sign, that only a few are able to see; and the question of why the angels have existed throughout all epochs, religions and worlds.
An almost lifeless body of a woman has been tossed ashore by the underground currents of Sentino River near the largest cave complex in Europe – Grotte di Frassasi. A strange earthquake rocks the city of Belgrade, which causes mysterious, millennia-old stone figures found in Lepinski Vir, near the Danube River, to line up in the form of a hexagram for the first time since they were found in 1960s. A military car mercilessly chases a pale creature through the dense forest of the Italian province of Ancona, and at the same time the eight-pointed star in the center of St. Peter’s square in the Vatican cracks in two. An Oxford professor discovers the key to deciphering the 16th century occultist Dr. John Dee’s Holy Guardian Angel Tablet, which had stumped scholars for five centuries.

Dante’s Antichthon is a sequel to Filipova`s previous novel The Parchment Maze, which inspired National Geographic Channel for the documentary Sword in the Stone & the Orpheus Amulet, but could be read separately.

Dante’s Antichthon is also the first Bulgarian book to be presented within the London Book Fair. The Executive director of Egmont Bulgaria Velizara Dobreva said, “We view this as a mission to popularize a Bulgarian author beyond the borders of our country. Bulgaria has so many good authors and many, many excellent novels that deserve to be read by the English speaking readers across the world. And we are ready and willing to undertake this mission.” The book is translated with the support of National Culture Fund of Bulgaria.

Joseph Ceccio, Ph.D., professor of English literature, University of Akron commented that, “In my professional opinion, this novel surpasses those of both Dan Brown and Elizabeth Kostova in terms of complexity and theme. A carefully crafted literary work that is both entertaining and illuminating for readers.”

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Dante’s Antichthon was the bestselling book for 2010 in Bulgaria.

In the center of the story are Vera Kandilova, a Bulgarian archaeologist, and Ariman, a strange pale man, who is trying to discover the truth about his father – The Incorporeal One. They attempt to decipher the code of the Hidden city, designed by the architect Coppede in Rome, and Dr. Dee’s mysterious Holy Tablet, whose angelic symbols are strikingly similar to the world’s earliest known writing system, discovered in the Balkans. They also search for answers as to why the tombs in Kazanluk, Bulgaria, were built for people towering 2.3 meters – the same height ascribed to the builders of Ancient Babylon. Vera and Ariman retrace the trail towards the entrance to the Underworld, realizing that there is only one way to reach its center – to find out the Secret of the Ten and to follow the path encoded in Dante’s poetry. But what waits for them underground?

Egmont Bulgaria is a leading publishing house for books and magazines in Bulgaria. Among the international partners of the company are renowned publishers such as Disney, Mattel, and National Geographic Society. Egmont Bulgaria is the Bulgarian publisher of famous and high-profile authors such as J K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, John Green, Rick Riordan, Veronica Roth and Elif Shafak.
Egmont Bulgaria is part of the leading Scandinavian media group Egmont which was founded in 1878 and owned by the Egmont Foundation, a charitable trust dedicated to supporting children and young people. The company’s mission is to create and tell stories through books, magazines, film, TV, music, games and mobile. Egmont media group publishes in more than 30 countries.

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Premiere on The London Book Fair, 08.04.2014:

Video: Людмила Филипова в Лондон Арт/ Ludmila Filipova on London Art

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Premiere in the American University, Blagoevgrad, 14.04.2014: Pictures from the event

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Premiere in Stolichna Biblioteka, Sofia, 17.04.2014:

 Pictures from the event