An unprecedented document of one of the Middle East’s most extraordinary cultures
In 1976, Peter Schlesinger (born 1948) visited the Yemen Arab Republic (as the northern part of Yemen was then called). He was accompanying the photographer Eric Boman, who was on a fashion shoot assignment for a French magazine. Yemen had been closed to foreigners for many years and in the interest of encouraging more tourism the government decided to court media outlets. Over the course of his eight-day stay, Schlesinger took hundreds of photographs documenting what he saw as he traveled from the capital, Sanaa, and on through the northern city of Sa’da.
Forty-two years later, as he began making this book, Schlesinger shared these images with Bernard Haykel, a professor at Princeton University and an expert on the Middle East. He was taken aback at their existence, since documentation of Yemen in the ’70s is so rare. Haykel provides an enriching introduction that brings to life the world Schlesinger captured.
Featured image is reproduced from ‘Peter Schlesinger: Eight Days in Yemen'.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Town & Country
Bernard Haykel
With a restless eye that surveyed the lofty as well as the modest, Schlesinger, today 72, exalted the rich tapestry of a fabled nation, its spectacular landscapes, its fortified hilltop villages, its vast diversity in architecture, and, most touchingly, Yemenis themselves. At a time when the country is again wracked by war, this collection 45 years in the making is a poignant memento of what once was, and what may be lost yet again.
Interview
Christopher Bollen
There is so much life, color, and beauty recorded in these scenes, which take on additional heft with the realization that many of these remarkable places no longer exist...
It's Nice That
Ayla Angelos
Peter’s array of artful landscapes – appear in beautifully uniformed fashion. It’s quite unlike any of the architecture found in western civilisation, and the scenes of Yemen’s locals going about their daily lives only add to the gentle hum of the city life. But sadly, much of what we’re observing within these pages have now been left in ruin.
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.75 x 12 in. / 164 pgs / 99 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $63 ISBN: 9788862087209 PUBLISHER: Damiani AVAILABLE: 4/13/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Damiani. Introduction by Bernard Haykel.
An unprecedented document of one of the Middle East’s most extraordinary cultures
In 1976, Peter Schlesinger (born 1948) visited the Yemen Arab Republic (as the northern part of Yemen was then called). He was accompanying the photographer Eric Boman, who was on a fashion shoot assignment for a French magazine. Yemen had been closed to foreigners for many years and in the interest of encouraging more tourism the government decided to court media outlets. Over the course of his eight-day stay, Schlesinger took hundreds of photographs documenting what he saw as he traveled from the capital, Sanaa, and on through the northern city of Sa’da.
Forty-two years later, as he began making this book, Schlesinger shared these images with Bernard Haykel, a professor at Princeton University and an expert on the Middle East. He was taken aback at their existence, since documentation of Yemen in the ’70s is so rare. Haykel provides an enriching introduction that brings to life the world Schlesinger captured.
