Leros [Hardcover]

Alex Majoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 2003

The Greek island of Leros was for 20 years and more the site of the world's most notorious and brutal asylum for the insane. The Magnum photographer Alex Majoli has chronicled its inmates and their return to a sane world and integration into society, the work of the famed Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia. Leros raises a number of questions. How could such a regime have existed? And how could anyone have survived it? This book was given the Judges' Special Recognition in the best books category of the International Pictures of the Year Awards 2003 and included in the PDN Photography Annual 2003 in the best books category.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alex Majoli is a member of the Magnum Photographic Agency. Recognised for his work in the Balkan wars of the 1990s and his social reportage, he was born in Ravenna in 1971. He became a full-time photojournalist for the Grazia-Neri Agency in 1990. He has contributed to Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. In 2003 he was the recipient of the International Center of Photography's Infinity Award for Photojournalism. He lives and works in Milan and New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Trolley Books (January 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954207920
• ISBN-13: 978-0954207922
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, moving, sad, January 17, 2007

By 

photoman - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Leros (Hardcover)

Alex Majoli has presented us with a wondeful gift in Leros. Don't make the mistake, as I did, of jumping right into the photographs. Find a quiet place, pour a glass of wine and read the words on the dust jacket. Learn a little about Leros in the 4 page essay by Laura Facchi that opens the book. Take your time as you work your way through the photos. Let them sink in. At the back of the book are three more essays that provide a deeper understanding of Leros. Then go back to the photos.

How do you capture mental illness in a photo? Alex Majoli has done it over and over in Leros. His photographs are fascinating. Looking deeply into the faces of these abandoned men who long ago lost touch with our reality, you can almost see a glimpse of the person they use to be. Before they went mad. Before Leros.

This is my idea of the perfect photography book - interesting subject, fascinating photographs, enough text to frame the subject matter, and a creative phyical presentation.

Treat yourself and buy this book.