Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl (Hardcover)

~ Robert Polidori (Photographer)

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.

Product Description

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. Mr. Polidori's camera is his sight.... [and] an exceptional witness. --William L. Hamilton, New York Times Clothbound, 15 x 11.75 in./112 pgs / 190 color 0 BW0 duotone 0 ~ Item D20346

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Steidl/Pace/MacGill Gallery (July 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3882439211
• ISBN-13: 978-3882439212
• Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 12 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Work, October 10, 2003

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:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing documentation of places abandoned (not by choice)., October 30, 2005

By	Doctor Trance (MA, United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl, January 9, 2007

By	W. DeBiasio (Crestline, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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. Another event in our life that should not be forgotton. An amazing pictorial.