In the 11 days following the Chernobyl catastrophe on April 26, 1986, more than 116,000 people were permanently evacuated from the area surrounding the nuclear power plant. Declared unfit for human habitation, the Zones of Exclusion includes the towns of Pripyat (established in the 1970s to house workers) and Chernobyl. In May 2001, Robert Polidori photographed what was left behind in the this dead zone. His richly detailed images move from the burned-out control room of Reactor 4, where technicians staged the experiment that caused the disaster, to the unfinished apartment complexes, ransacked schools and abandoned nurseries that remain as evidence of those who once called Pripyat home. Nearby, trucks and tanks used in the cleanup efforts rest in an auto graveyard, some covered in lead shrouds and others robbed of parts. Houseboats and barges rust in the contaminated waters of the Pripyat River. Foliage grows over the sidewalks and hides the modest homes of Chernobyl. In his large-scale photographs, Polidori captures the faded colors and desolate atmosphere of these two towns, producing haunting documents that present the reader with a rare view of not just a disastrous event, but a place and the people who lived there.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1984, forced the immediate evacuation of more than 116,000 people from that part of the Ukraine, which was subsequently declared unfit for human habitation. Fifteen years and more than 350,000 evacuations later, photographer Polidori (Havana) returned to shoot vacant apartment blocks, highways, classrooms, and dachas being reclaimed by the forest, and the frightening control rooms themselves. As Polidori writes: "Does any generation have the right to risk the safety of so many future generations?... I felt personally compelled to confront and witness this ongoing tragedy that no ritual can heal." The result is 190 color photos that give this 15" x 11" book a deeply haunting quality.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
I won't endeavor to describe this book any more than Amazon's editors. But, I will say that I've collected photography books for close to twenty years and this is one of the most beautiful I've seen. The work is extraordinary, both disquieting and alluring at the same time. Polidori's composition, use of color and eye for detail is indicative of not only classic artistic stylisation, but a sensitive soul as well. This is truly brilliant work!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Robert Polidori has captured in large format, cities which have now become ghost towns, due to the most devastating of nuclear accidents. The colors are muted in the photographs as they are in real life, with everything that's left covered in dirt, debris, and rubble. There may never be a full clean-up because of the radiation still present, which would put people at risk, and the fact that it will never be rebuilt anyway. It appears most of the shots were taken during cloudy days, and I am wondering if the mood would have been emphasized a tad further had some warmer light shined into the interiors.
The story of what happened is barely touched upon, but this book is a photo representation of what is left behind, and not a story about what happened. I have no problem looking elsewhere to find the history of the accident, and think the book stands alone as a stunning pictorial depiction of what can go wrong in the nuclear age. One of my favorite photo books in any genre.
The story of what happened is barely touched upon, but this book is a photo representation of what is left behind, and not a story about what happened. I have no problem looking elsewhere to find the history of the accident, and think the book stands alone as a stunning pictorial depiction of what can go wrong in the nuclear age. One of my favorite photo books in any genre.
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
The photos are poetic, well composed and beautifully printed. Those interested in images of Chernobyl, or in architectural photography, will find this worthwhile.
However, the book contains almost no text, and this weakens it. There is no discussion of the places shown in the photographs, or what happened in each setting. There is no pairing of before and after photographs. There is no discussion of how, technically, Polidori took the photographs. I would have preferred to see all three of these things.
There are other sources, of course. A recent issue of National Geographic used the 20th anniversary of the disaster as its cue to cover this ground (and with some very similar photos too). However, this was a missed chance by Polidori.
Also, I found the array of photographs of little houses being reclaimed by the forest to be less interesting than Polidori probably expected. The urban photos were much more compelling.
However, the book contains almost no text, and this weakens it. There is no discussion of the places shown in the photographs, or what happened in each setting. There is no pairing of before and after photographs. There is no discussion of how, technically, Polidori took the photographs. I would have preferred to see all three of these things.
There are other sources, of course. A recent issue of National Geographic used the 20th anniversary of the disaster as its cue to cover this ground (and with some very similar photos too). However, this was a missed chance by Polidori.
Also, I found the array of photographs of little houses being reclaimed by the forest to be less interesting than Polidori probably expected. The urban photos were much more compelling.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
there is a better option..
Ive met Polidoris work through a fine edition with compilations of his pictures ( from this and some of his other books ) published on Brazil (ISBN-13: 9788586707414)
This... Read more
This... Read more
Published on March 15, 2011 by Rafael Vieira
1.0 out of 5 stars
mhew!
It was a very disappointing the photos are beautiful but they lack either the artsy look or the documentary approach, the quality of the printing and the book in general is superb,... Read more
Published on November 23, 2010 by Demetrio Dagieu Salcido
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful pictures, but a bit repetitive
Would be a great book at half the asking price.
Not the variety of settings I was expecting
Not the variety of settings I was expecting
Published on June 17, 2010 by Eric Sand
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl
Found this book on a movie set and was amazed at the images. Photographed in 2001, this book brings the horrors of Chernobyl to life. Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by W. DeBiasio
4.0 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed seeing this, but it doesn't answer many questions
There is only one page of text in this book. Page 7, written by Elizabeth Culbert in New York City in April 2003, explains how Pripyat, a community of homes for workers from the... Read more
Published on July 2, 2004 by Bruce P. Barten
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