Winterreise [Hardcover]

Luc Delahaye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2000

Bridging the divide between art and journalism, Magnum photographer Luc Delahaye presents 144 images taken on a winter journey to the north of Russia, recording a nation in a state of moral and physical collapse. The photographs are poetic - simultaneously terrifying, exciting, intimate and moving - despite recording sad subject matter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...photographer Luc Delahaye finds a country's soul...his sojourn is an epic new book...one of the most compelling photojournalism monographs to emerge in recent years' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Luc Delahaye was born in France in 1962. He became a photographer in 1984 and joined Magnum in 1994. He has photographed wars and conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Rwanda, West Bank, Haiti, Sudan, Chechnya, Romania, Somalia, and extensively covered the war in the former Yugoslavia. Among other prizes, he has received the Robert Capa Gold Medal, twice a first prize at the World Press Photo awards, and twice the Paris Match prize, the Golden Visa. Photographer's Residence: Paris, France --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714839973
• ISBN-13: 978-0714839974
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,003,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars in a word..incredible, December 19, 2000

By 

Ashley Brokaw (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winterreise (Hardcover)

I have never seen a photography book where every picture has been perfection - absoultely fascinating. The colors, the cropping the layout is truly incredible. I am amazing and moved by every image. If you are looking for a gift for someone who likes photography, this is amazing. it is all natural light and the subject matter is depresing, but the pitcures are so incredible, you will look at it over and over again. hightly recommended

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, yet important, January 20, 2008

By 

Benjamin R. Greene (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Winterreise (Paperback)

Luc Delahaye is attempting to make a social and political statement about the suffering that he saw poor Russians enduring during the rapid industrialization after the fall of the Iron Curtain. His camera documents, in sometimes painful detail, how some people have fared under the new capitalist regime. In this he succeeds admirably. Clearly, the rising tide hasn't lifted all the boats. Much like Charles Dickens in his time and place, he is trying to tell us about the lives of those at the bottom in Russia.

However, this photo essay is not a comedy. You may find yourself thanking your lucky stars you aren't living the degraded and sad lives of Delahaye's subjects, but the photos are hard to look at at times.

Moreover, I think some of the other reviewers have a perfectly valid point when they state that there is a bottom end of the lowest class in every society, and the Russians depicted in these photos are no more representative of Russia as a whole than Skid Row denizens could represent all of California.

Overall, this is an important, if sometimes painfully honest, work.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars winterreise, January 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Winterreise (Hardcover)

There is no doubt that Luc Delahaye is one of the more formidable photojournalists today and there cannot be any serious criticism of his style and dedication to producing strong images. His book, 'Winterreise', is a well produced book and its smaller than usual format does not affect the impact of the pictures. However, I found one problem with this work - it is immensely depressing.

In my opinion this book is a highly professional, well documented study of poverty and abject misery . Moving through the book, one wonders in what mental state the photographer ended up after having spent so much time in such an oppresively miserable environment. Having completed my first look of the book, I immediately thought that Delahaye should have titled the work, 'Misery'.

I must emphasise again that there is nothing poor about the quality of 'Winterreise'. The book meets the highest standards of photojournalism and documentary reporting. Yet it is so depressing that I find myself avoiding it.