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Steele-Perkins, Chris (Photographer); Velter, Andre & Majrouh, Sayd Bohodine (Authors).
CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS: AFGHANISTAN.
London, England: Westzone, 2001. Hardcover. First Edition/First Printing. 127 pages. As New/As New. Landmark collection of photographs. One of the most important photography books of the 20th century. The first and only edition. There is no American edition. A splendid production by Chris Steele-Perkins and Rose Design London: Oversize-volume format. A tall and slim book. Black hard boards with white titles on spine, as issued. Photographs by Chris Steele-Perkins. Introduction by Andre Velter. Poems, prose-poems, and narratives taken from "Ego Monstre" by Sayd Bohodine Majrouh are interspersed throughout the book with the images. All of the photographs are reproduced in miniature and appended at the end with captions by the photographer. In pictorial DJ with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Presents Chris Steele-Perkins's profoundly personal homage and celebration of Afghanistan, a place he visited numerous times in the course of five years. Throughout those years, the country was devastated by a succession of wars, as it still is today. The photographer is not trying to ignore the horrors of war. Still, he is right to realize that in order to do justice to this long-suffering country, the appropriate response is not a book of photojournalism but a photography book that transcends journalism (while being grounded on it). His "message" is hopeful and as a result, the photographs are unforgettable rather than sensationalistic. Steele-Perkins seeks to capture the continuing cycles of everyday life despite the fact of war, resulting in a collection of images of wonder and violence, terror, and joy. Excerpts from the masterpiece of the greatest Afghan writer of the 20th century, Sayd Bohodine Majrouh, who was assassinated in 1988, deepen the poignance of the book in a way that no journalistic commentary ever can. Steele-Perkins is one of the world's foremost photojournalists and served as President of Magnum between 1995 and 1999. He is best-known for his classic, "The Teds". To his credit, he realizes the drastic limits of journalism. "It was heroic, beautiful, violent, twisted, gracious, and tragic. The experience of being there works its way narcotically into one's being; an infection of the soul demanding that you return" (Chris Steele-Perkins). A masterpiece. This title has been out-of-print for a very long time. This is one of few copies still avaiable online and has no flaws, a pristine beauty. A scarce copy thus. 70 duotone plates. One of the greatest living photographers. A flawless copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 190339113X. $75.00 |
