Accolades: George Lechner

Posted  3/22/2005
Bookmark and Share
George Lechner, adjunct faculty member in the All-University Curriculum (The Italian Renaissance) and reference assistant in Mortensen Library, was selected to join a group of noted scholars to critique Dan Brown’s bestselling Angels and Demons in the book Secrets of Angels and Demons, published by CDS Books in December.

Lechner, an authority on Italian Baroque art and symbolism, has previously published articles on the occult sciences in the Renaissance. His contribution to Secrets of Angels and Demons is titled “The Magical and Mythical in Bernini’s Sculpture.” In it, he focuses on the work of Bernini and the role of astrology, natural and demonic magic, and the cabala in the court of Pope Urban VIII. Secrets of Angels and Demons debuted on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list in January.

Lechner will be featured in a two-hour documentary based on the book—currently filming in New York and Rome—that will be presented on the History Channel at the end of the year.