North Korea
by Michel Poivert, Jonathan Fenby
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jonathan Fenby, Michel PoivertPhotographer: Philippe Chancel
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-09
ISBN: 0500543291
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Book Reviews of North Korea
Book Review: At home with Kim
Summary: 5 Stars
Photo books about North Korea are few and far between and then two come along together (I wonder if publishers just hate that?). The other title is Inside North Korea with photos by Mark Harris. In fact they cover different aspects of the same country.
Philippe Chancel's book essentially covers the capitol Pyongyang but Harris visits several places in the country. Pyongyang is stuffed with bureaucrats, civil servants and the military plus their families so it can hardly be considered truly representative of the country. Chancel's beautiful photos reflect this. You'll have to look hard to find the tell-tale signs of the typical third world city: poverty side by side with the wealthy few, falling apart infrastructure, litter and just too many people. What you will see are wide boulevards lined with apartment blocks, trees and grass covered areas, huge, solid, predictable socialist style museums, monuments and plenty of signage revealing the (wise?) political thoughts of the Great Leader and his lad. It all seems clean, tidy and nothing out of place. Even close-ups of people don't reveal inferior and tatty clothing. For the real Korea you'll have to look at the Mark Harris book.
Both books rightly cover the extraordinary Arirang Massed Games (Chancel has twelve excellent photos) held in the 150,000-seat May Day Stadium where 100,000 performers parade and surrounding them 20,000 to 40,000 students create amazing human pictures by holding flip boards above their heads. How this part of the Games is organised would make a book in itself. Chancel also has several photos inside the Children's Palace showing embroidery, dancing and singing classes. I wonder if this kind of education is the norm outside of Pyongyang?
'North Korea' is a fascinating book (well designed and printed with 175 dpi photos) revealing a bit of this weird, closed nation though I would have liked to see some photos of how the average person lives at home. Probably a bit too much to ask of Kim and his chums.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Summary of North Korea
An unprecedented photographic tour of North Korea that examines life under the Kims' totalitarian regime.For more than half a century, North Korea has been the epitome of a rogue state. Since the defeat of the Japanese occupation in 1945 it has been a nation apart, ruled by father-and-son autocrats?the late Kim Il-sung, known as the Great Leader, and his successor Kim Jong-il, known as the Dear Leader?who have expanded the cult of personality to unparalleled lengths.
No regime, past or present, has ever created an environment of such ubiquitous propaganda. In finely orchestrated detail, flags, murals, and slogans praise the party, while monuments, statues, and portraits glorify its leaders. Philippe Chancel's neutral but sophisticated photographs explore how the political has been transfigured into an all-encompassing aesthetic. He shows us the wide, car-less avenues of Pyongyang?the capital city rebuilt to plans drawn up by the Great Leader himself?the Children's Palace, and the gigantic May Day Stadium, which seats up to 150,000 people. It is a remarkable scenography of a uniquely chilling reality. 129 color photographs.
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