The Hidden Photobooks: Winterreise
Winterreise
Luc Delahaye
Phaidon Press, London, 2003
Luc Delahaye’s extraordinary little book Winterreise, (or winter journey) deals in the same currencies of drugs, violence and utter poverty as Eugene Richards’ cocaine book, though here the location is a pre-millennial Russia, rendered in the consistently strange hues of a mostly un-natural light.
The residents’ recourse to alcohol and opiates seems entirely understandable, with their bleak threadbare rooms barely furnished, brightened on occasion with what might be described as an aspirational image, e.g. a beach scene taped to a wall with barely enough plaster enough to hold it.
The book closes with several full-bleed double-page spreads of trees, some of which are real, some looking more like printed wallpaper, until the final real tree-filled bright and snowy landscape, from which Delahaye takes his leave, perhaps happy to be heading home to his native France.
Relentlessly depressing, relentlessly brilliant.
When not part of the current display, you can find it here: DK18.5D4 (world history – Russia/Soviet Union – pictorial works)
-MG
Come along to the Main Library on North Street to take a look for yourself. This book is part of The Hidden Photobooks display which is running from 1 – 30 September and is part of the St Andrews Photography Festival. Everyone is welcome and the event is free. Check out the Library Instagram for images Marcus has chosen as companions to these blog posts.