The action of the neo-Gothic novel by the once popular but forgotten writer Vladimir Lensky (1877–1932) “Black Stav” takes place against the backdrop of a semi-realistic, semi-lubok Gogol Ukraine. Mystical fears and fatal passions, devilry and witchcraft, legends of the past and ominous ruins, demonic robbers, drunken villagers and gypsy bonfires - for all this there was a place on the pages of “Black Stav”. The novel was published shortly before the revolution and is being republished for the first time.