The Russians Emerge

by Jonathan Sanders
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Editorial Reviews

Heidi Hollinger has captured the spirit of the Russian people as they adjust to their new freedoms. Her sympathetic portraits reveal how some "emerging" Russias relish their new opportunities while others, rooted in the past, struggle to survive in their changing world. The wide-ranging collection in this volume includes images of workers, entertainers, artists, military officers, religious leaders, cosmonauts, Stalin's great-grandson, and Lenin's niece, among others. Accompanying the portraits is a readable text by Jonathan Sanders, who provides insight about the people of modern Russia and Hollinger's importance in documenting them during this intriguing and troubled era. For nearly a decade, Hollinger lived in Russia, at first as a visitor and gradually as an insider, gaining access to such high-profile politicians as Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin, as well as other top-echelon personalities. At the same time, she explored Moscow's lower depths; mounted on in-line skates and armed with mace, she invited typical Russians to her studio to pose for a portrait. Her "working folk" images are in the tradition of pre-Revolutionary masters, who also wandered through the streets in search of representative faces to photograph.

Customer Reviews

Mediocre, 2005-09-07
by ana banana (canada)
Who is she? Who is Heidi Hollinger but a social climber with a camera, lots of bias and no talent? Someone who forcers herself into being at the right place at the right time, craving fame and attention like the spoiled brat that she is. Quite frankly. In her native Montreal, this pseudo Lolita's done 'em all, too. Pathetic garbage.
American Superiority Complex, 2004-03-15
Heidi Hollinger has done an excellent job of portraying Russians with a misunderstanding, foreign eye, typical of the American expatriate. She basically took pictures of Russians and gave a background story, and assumed it would be interesting because they are oh, so very different! Unfortunately people eat up unoriginal and un-thought-provoking crap like this all the time.
American Superiority Complex, 2004-03-15
This woman, Heidi Hollinger, has done an excellent job of portraying Russians with a misunderstanding, foreign eye, typical of the American expatriate. She pretty much took pictures of Russians and gave a little background story, which takes absolutely NO talent and is in no way original nor thought-provoking.
A glorious classic, 2003-01-17
by Skylar (NY, United States)
Breathtaking images; touching presentations of the people, the culture, the life and times. I came to know Heidi Hollinger during the past decade by seeing her on the cover of many distinguished magazines and reading about her interesting life and work in Russia. She is a world renown photographer for good reason: with this book she has given history a true gift with her unique feel for and portrayal of the moods and challenges of the Russian people. Her fascinating perspectives and excellent artistic, creative, and technical talents are awe inspiring.