Turnley, David C. The Russian Heart. Days of Crisis and Hope by David C. Turnley.

Aperture, 1992. First edition, first printing in hardcover, fine with very good plus dust jacket that has a small closed tear at top of spine. For two months before, during and after the coup that toppled the Communist government, photographer David C. Turnley, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 and other distinguished awards, including World Press Photo of the Year twice, travelled the Soviet Union taking photographs of a society in turmoil. He used his camera and journal to create this book, which is both intimate and epic.  Introduction by Bill Keller. 142 pages. Summary:

The Russian Heart: Days of Crisis and Hope is a powerful visual and written chronicle by Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer David C. Turnley that captures the dramatic final years of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Over a period beginning two months before, during, and after the attempted coup that challenged the Communist government, Turnley traveled across the Soviet Union with his camera and journal, documenting a society in intense political and social upheaval.
The book presents a blend of compelling color photographs and diary entries, offering both an intimate and epic portrait of the Russian people at a crucial historical moment. Rather than focusing solely on leaders or headline events, Turnley’s work highlights ordinary lives, cultural diversity, and individual expressions of resilience and hope amid crisis.

Through scenes ranging from everyday street life to moments inside institutions like prisons and hospitals, as well as celebrations such as traditional weddings, the images convey both the chaos of systemic collapse and the emerging spirit of possibility in the USSR’s final days. Accompanying journal passages deepen the narrative by revealing Turnley’s personal encounters and reflections on the people he met and the rapidly changing society around him.

Overall, The Russian Heart functions as both a historical document and a humanistic study, illustrating how a nation in transition grapples with uncertainty, loss, and the fragile beginnings of hope.