Product Description

This lushly beautiful saga explores the finest nuances of human desire and compassion. Inspired by A. Cowart Lutzky's multicultural roots and travels, "Those Beautiful Eyes" incorporates extensive research on early civilized cultures, rituals, medicines, myths and archetypes to create a mesmerizing and deliciously tangible experience. The life stories of Michael Dagan, Maria Ananin and Anarisha of Fa-Orszag glide smoothly between ancient and modern realities. From forest villages to temple gardens to San Francisco bedrooms, lives and worlds fit together in a mysterious cuneiform whose intricate secrets are revealed with the final strokes. Exquisite in rhythm and voice, the story is at once sensual, soulful and thought-provoking.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1033459 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 333 pages

Review
"A mystical journey through disparate cultures and epochs...illuminate(s) what is essential and timeless in the human soul." -- Lucy Lang Day, award-winning author of

"A pool of inspiration...a richly layered background for a tantalizingly experiential novel." -- Writer's Digest awards critique, April 2003

"It unifies the ages...We breathe the very air of an ancient culture...we experience the modern world...Totally engrossing." -- Dr.Victoria Martinez Robertson, author of

"Timeless and powerful. Very seductive writing." -- Brad Newsham, author of

From the Author
"Those Beautiful Eyes" connects the latest and the earliest epochs of civilization, interweaving the life of a multicultural Jewish/Buddhist filmmaker in San Francisco with the life of a courtesan/priestess scribe from the area between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Ancient portions of the story integrate intriguing recent knowledge on Sumerian and Indus Valley cultures. Exploring the underlying unity between the two distant eras was an exciting, satisfying experience that uncovered some interesting perspectives on male female relationship, sexual desire, society's greed for power and wealth, and also on aspects of paths to enlightenment.

"Those Beautiful Eyes" received a Writer's Digest international award in 2002. Some of the comments from the Writer's Digest critique: "Few authors have written convincingly about ancient cultures {Jean Auel is one.) With Those Beautiful Eyes, Ms. Lutzky can join their ranks. This book goes one step further, however, to the juxtaposition of "ancientness" with the modern world. The result in the reader is a sense of kinship. Ms. Lutzky's language and style are a perfect fit for the idea.The novel allows the reader to become Anarisha, to journey with her through ancient Mesopotamia. At the same time, we experience the life of Michael Dagan, a bold San Francisco filmmaker in pursuit of Gilgamesh. The novel slips effortlessly through time; time is, in fact, a pool of inspiration either to drink from or to dive into. The sources, real and imagined, provide a richly layered background for a tantalizingly experiential novel."

About the Author
Ann Cowart Lutzky has taught in northwestern Africa and in the U.S. She is a lifelong student of world philosophy and culture; with studies in comparative literature and philosophy at U.C. Berkeley, where she received a degree in philosophy in 1967, and travels and residency in ancient cultures. She has received awards for her essays and for "Those Beautiful Eyes," her first novel. Lutzky is married and has two children.

Customer Reviews

Spellbinding and breathtaking!!!
Reading Those Beautiful Eyes is a once in a lifetime experience, I was transported to another dimension!! Like Isabel Allende meets Ursula K. Leguin, I became completely absorbed in a whole new reality. The characters were unforgettable, the story rich and elaborate... THIS IS A MUST READ for everyone who loves historical fiction, fantasy, magical realism, and mysticism.

A timeless literary journey
A timeless and sumptuous exploration of the fluidity of the ages and our spiritual connections, THOSE BEAUTIFUL EYES is a true feast for the senses.

From ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day San Francisco, in delicate yet masterful prose, this novel depicts the lives and fates of a village girl in service to a goddess, a dancer, and a film maker and his wife, while reflecting on the corrupting influence that the quest for recognition, power and wealth has on the soul. Ms Lutzky's wealth of historical research shines through without interfering with the sublime clarity of her tale - one that carries deep roots in Eastern philosophies. A sensual celebration of longing and loss, of the fragility of love and our forgotten past, this is literature of the highest order - an intelligent, deeply powerful book that cannot fail to leave the reader yearning for more. Highly recommended for fans of Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Antiquity and the modern day Bay Area -- wonderful mix
I received this book from a friend, who had some personal knowledge of the author. It was mesmerizing from the first chapter. The change in time from chapter to chapter was well done, never producting that disorientation that I often feel when reading books that go back and forther over many years and places. It was sensual and erotic in a beautiful way, without resorting to the many cliches that such scenes seem to show. My favorite chapter is written from the point of view of a cat. It is so well done, that I had to read it out loud to my husband.

I read this book at the beach while recovering from the flu. It made the mist more magical and reality less appealing.