Morath, Inge. Russian Journal by Inge Morath.

Aperture, 1991. Introduction by Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Essays by Andre Voznesensky and Olga Andreyev Carlisle. Photographs by Morath.  [Scenes of the Soviet Union including architecture and people, both unnamed and prominent such as Boris Pasternak, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Andrei Sakharov, and Joseph Brodsky.] Letters to Morath and Arthur Miller from Nadezhda Mandelstam.  Morath's second book on Russia.  Like new hardcover  in protected dust jacket. Issued at $40. Summary:

Russian Journal by Inge Morath is a photography book and travel journal that documents her visits to the Soviet Union between 1965 and 1990. The book combines Morath’s photographs with texts and reflections by several Russian writers, including Yevgeny Yevtushenko, offering a personal look at Russian culture, everyday life, and intellectual society during the late Soviet period.

The book is a visual and cultural record of Morath’s journeys through Russia and other parts of the Soviet Union. Through photographs and written commentary, it explores both famous cultural sites and ordinary daily life. Morath captures scenes from cities such as Moscow and Leningrad, as well as rural villages, showing how people lived under Soviet rule. 

During her travels, Morath met artists, writers, and intellectuals who were central to Russian cultural life. Her images and the accompanying texts show their homes, studios, and meeting places, revealing the importance of literature and art in Russian society. The book also includes photographs of historical locations connected to famous authors like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, highlighting the deep connection between Russian culture and its literary tradition.

Another theme of the book is change. Morath visited Russia over many years, so the photographs show how the country evolved from the stricter Soviet period of the 1960s to the reforms and openness of the late 1980s. Her work captures both the endurance of traditional culture and the gradual transformation of the Soviet world.

Overall meaning

Overall, Russian Journal presents an intimate portrait of Russia through the eyes of an outsider who gained unusual access to its people and culture. By combining photography and literary commentary, the book portrays the complexity, resilience, and artistic spirit of Russian life during a time of major political and social change.

In short: The book is a photographic travel journal that documents Russian culture, people, and artistic life in the Soviet era, showing both everyday experiences and the intellectual world behind the Iron Curtain.