Turkish Wrestling (Hardcover)

~ Lawrence Grecco (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lawrence Grecco's "Turkish Wrestling" appeals to me strongly as a wrestler, a psychotherapist and an amatuer photographer. Through beautiful pictures and descriptive text he makes a very foreign culture seem kindred. The univerals of sport, masculine struggle, comraderie and brotherhood leap from the page in moments and movements that seem at once very different from my experience as an American wrestler, and yet somehow very close to home. Through his talent as an artist he is able to bridge the cultural gap and connect me with the deeper meaning of what it means to be in a community of men who strive for perfection through the particular sport of wrestling. Through his keen photographic eyes, we are all winners as we experience the age old traditions of theTurkish Kirkpinar. I highly recommend this wonderful book. --Amazon

Lawrence Grecco's "Turkish Wrestling" appeals to me strongly as a wrestler, a psychotherapist and an amatuer photographer. Through beautiful pictures and descriptive text he makes a very foreign culture seem kindred. The univerals of sport, masculine struggle, comraderie and brotherhood leap from the page in moments and movements that seem at once very different from my experience as an American wrestler, and yet somehow very close to home. Through his talent as an artist he is able to bridge the cultural gap and connect me with the deeper meaning of what it means to be in a community of men who strive for perfection through the particular sport of wrestling. Through his keen photographic eyes, we are all winners as we experience the age old traditions of theTurkish Kirkpinar. I highly recommend this wonderful book. --Amazon<br /><br />Lawrence Grecco's photographs provide a texture uncommon in the artform. There is a sensitivity here, a strange, weighty slowness. One gets the impression that you're not looking at a still picture at all, but a few moments blending into one another, less an instant than idea, a feeling. Grecco captures a complete world; he manages to make a several-hundred year-old, highly public tradition seem private, quiet and secluded. The wrestlers are all men, of course, but the pictures are often disturbingly intimate, delicate, and emotional. Perhaps what has really been captured is the athlete's love for their history and culture -- respect, essentially. The book's text offers a short history of the origins of the sport as well as a subtle and honest look into Grecco's personal experiences during the years spent documenting the event. No doubt, it is the same way that readers will view the photographs. --Amazon<br /><br />This handsomely-produced coffee table book features an extraordinary array of photographs over a three year span, resulting in a stunning celebration of human strength and spirit. "Turkish Wrestling" expertly details the Kirkpinar experience from exuberant start to breathless finish. Grecco's camera enshrines the athletes with uncommon grace, from the turbulent struggle between combatants to the aftermath where victors strut with open pride and vanquished lie horizontal in near-collapse. Even though these are still photographs, one can virtually feel both the electricity of the moment with its mix of oil and sweat under the full glare of the hot Turkish sun. --Amazon

This handsomely-produced coffee table book features an extraordinary array of photographs over a three year span, resulting in a stunning celebration of human strength and spirit. "Turkish Wrestling" expertly details the Kirkpinar experience from exuberant start to breathless finish. Grecco's camera enshrines the athletes with uncommon grace, from the turbulent struggle between combatants to the aftermath where victors strut with open pride and vanquished lie horizontal in near-collapse. Even though these are still photographs, one can virtually feel both the electricity of the moment with its mix of oil and sweat under the full glare of the hot Turkish sun. --Amazon

Product Description

"TURKISH WRESTLING" is the first photography book ever to reveal the fascinating world of Turkey's oldest sport. Over a period of three years, fine art photographer Lawrence Grecco visited the KIRKPINAR championships, Turkey's equivalent to the World Series, and received special access to photograph the wrestling matches on the outdoor field where they take place. The resulting archive of powerful black and white and color photographs transport the viewer to this exotic realm of hulking men coated in olive oil, wearing only custom tailored leather britches as they grapple with each other under a relentless Mediterranean sun.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Apollon Press; First edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972984208
• ISBN-13: 978-0972984201
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,135,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, tender book of pictures., April 9, 2004

By	Lee C. Houck (Long Island City, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lawrence Grecco's photographs provide a texture uncommon in the artform. There is a sensitivity here, a strange, weighty slowness. One gets the impression that you're not looking at a still picture at all, but a few moments blending into one another, less an instant than idea, a feeling. Grecco captures a complete world; he manages to make a several-hundred year-old, highly public tradition seem private, quiet and secluded.

The wrestlers are all men, of course, but the pictures are often disturbingly intimate, delicate, and emotional. Perhaps what has really been captured is the athlete's love for their history and culture -- respect, essentially.

The book's text offers a short history of the origins of the sport as well as a subtle and honest look into Grecco's personal experiences during the years spent documenting the event. No doubt, it is the same way that readers will view the photographs.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing photographs, beaufiful book., June 23, 2004

By A Customer

Lawrence Grecco's photographs bridge the eroticism of the human figure with the exoticism of an ancient sport that is truly fascinating in every way. His compositional ability is exceptional; each of these images are powerful and almost every one of them can stand on their own quite well. The book itself is beautifully designed, almost antique looking with its cloth cover and adhered black and white photograph. This is THE BOOK on Turkish Wrestling.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wrestling as Art, May 16, 2004

By	Ken Voorhees (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

Lawrence Grecco's "Turkish Wrestling" appeals to me strongly as a wrestler, a psychotherapist and an amatuer photographer. Through beautiful pictures and descriptive text he makes a very foreign culture seem kindred. The univerals of sport, masculine struggle, comraderie and brotherhood leap from the page in moments and movements that seem at once very different from my experience as an American wrestler, and yet somehow very close to home. Through his talent as an artist he is able to bridge the cultural gap and connect me with the deeper meaning of what it means to be in a community of men who strive for perfection through the particular sport of wrestling. Through his keen photographic eyes, we are all winners as we experience the age old traditions of theTurkish Kirkpinar. I highly recommend this wonderful book.