Josef Koudelka [Paperback]

Anna Farova (Author), Josef Koudelka (Photographer), Karel Hvizdala (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2002

Known for his higly formalized, senisitive images of the vestiges of gypsy life, Czech photographer Josef Koudelka has been traveling the world since 1962, documenting their communities in Eastern Europe, England, Ireland, France, and Spain. Living as his subjects do, constantly on the move and defiantly independent, Koudelka has always refused magazine and commercial assignments, and has worked for years without a permanent darkroom. Focusing on the rituals of everyday life, on birth, marriage, and death, he has produced years of work, including the cycles reproduced here: Theater, Gypsies, Prague 1968 (Invasion), Exiles, and Chaos. These well-known series are complemented by lesser-known photographs from the 1950s. Included as well are an essay by Czech art historian Anna Farova, who has followed Koudelka throughout his career, and an expansive interview with the artist conducted by Karel Hvizdala over a period of 10 years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in 1938 in a tiny Moravian village, Josef Koudelka began making pictures as a teenager with a 6 x 6 inch Bakelite camera. While working as an aeronautical engineer in Prague and Bratislava in the 1960s, he started to photograph the theater in Prague, then the gypsies of Slovakia and Romania. In 1968, he recorded the invasion of Prague by the Warsaw Pact armies, and his work became internationally known, winning him the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal. Koudelka left Czechoslovakia in 1970, and was awarded asylum in England. He became a member of Magnum in 1974, but has refused most journalistic assignments: in constant movement, he prefers to wander Europe in search of pictures of a world that is rapidly disappearing. He has been the recipient of many major grants and awards, including the Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson in 1991.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Torst (June 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8072151665
• ISBN-13: 978-8072151660
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive overview of Koudelka's work, June 12, 2006

By 

SJ - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Josef Koudelka (Paperback)

To follow up on a comment by a previous poster, I will say that even if English is NOT your first language but you DO HAVE a good command of English, you will appreciate the toughtful 12-page essay by Anna Farova that introduces Koudelka's pictures, as well as the 24-page transcription of a conversation between Josef Koudelka and a fellow Czech journalist. Anna Farova's essay is particularly enlightening as it goes over the different stages that Koudelka went through as an artist particularly as they relate to the selection included in this booklet. The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography of Koudelka's work.

Koudelka is famous for how stubborn he is about showing new images, and this book isn't an exception as it is a review of the photographer's most-known bodies of work: Gypsies, Invasion 1968, Exiles, Chaos. Let assured however, the most if not all of Koudelka's iconic images are present, and the quality of the reproduction is very high (for example, some of the photos from Exiles have much better definition and contrast than their reproduction in my copy of the revised edition published by Delpire in '97). Also, you get a rare glimpse of the photographer's earlier work from the late 50's and of his theatre photography from the early 60's in Czechoslovakia.

Considering the high prices of other books by Koudelka, this book is a bargain, and if you're new to this photographer's work, it's a great place to start.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT SUMMORY OF THE WORK OF A GREAT TALENT, September 19, 2002

By 

Mikhail Evstafiev - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Josef Koudelka (Paperback)

This is a small size book, yet it gives an overview of the different themes Koudelka worked on. It consists of work from his experience in the theater, from his Gypsies book, from the Prague 1968 events, as well as Exiles and Chaos. In addition, it has interesting writings and interviews with Koudelka. Not often do we here the great Koudelka speak out on how he came to being a photographer and his life in general, his search of a place in this world. Even if you already have his books this one is worth buying. If you are just discovering Koudelka's photography - this is a must to have. I am sure it will soon be a collectors item.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent introduction for Koudelka's work, May 14, 2007

By 

Yiannos Demetriou - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Josef Koudelka (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for someone who is trying to get acquianted with the work of Koudelka. It's compact and has a basic introduction of Koudelka's work. Besides the photos I found extremely interesting the discussion with Koudelka at the end of the book. Extremely interesting and gives you a nice flavor of the philosophy and way of life of the man. That made me appreciate him even more.