Soviet Ghosts: The Soviet Union Abandoned: A Communist Empire in Decay

by Rebecca Litchfield (Photographer), Brownett Evans Brownett Neil Cockwill (Editor)

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old iron curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union. Time and again she risked radiation exposure, experienced arrest and interrogation, and was accused of espionage while collecting the stunning photography in Soviet Ghosts. Join her on an adventure through the ruins of soviet bloc, never before seen by western eyes. The emotional affect of this poetic collection will keep you coming back for more, while a series of expert articles offer in-depth analysis of the historical context. Contemplate the uncanny and disturbing emotional power of the imagery. Discover the story of the rise and fall of the USSR, the empire whose ghost continues to haunt Europe even today... Features A breathtaking collection of images from Pripyat, Chernobyl Stunning imagery of a vast, ruined Bulgarian communist monument. A road trip through the ruined abandonment in East Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Croatia and Russia featuring decaying hospitals, military barracks, prisons, spy stations and sports halls and more. Photographer Rebecca Litchfield captures many abandoned locations, which were either part of the Soviet Union or occupied satellite states during this period of history, including forgotten towns, factories, prisons, schools, monuments, hospitals, theatres, military complexes, asylums & death camps across the former communist states. These photographs deliver a compelling narrative of both moral bankruptcy and flawed ideology. Featuring stunning imagery throughout, this compelling road-trip through the old USSR, breathes new life into these forgotten places, finding both beauty and meaning in their post-apocalyptic decay. Extended essays by Tristi Brownett, Neill Cockwill and Professor Owen Evans, offer considerable contextual depth to the locations imbuing them with a wealth of connection and wonder. By virtue of its holistic approach, the book also explores how and why these once thriving communities became abandoned, whether by natural disaster, man-made catastrophe or simply through the march of time."

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History, Russia, Architecture, Art, Travel

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2014

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the magnificent photos, one star for the text, so it averages out to three. The photos are of the abandoned, decaying leftovers of the Soviet empire: Bulgarian orphanages, East German missile sites, Russian military barracks, that sort of thing. This is the Eastern Bloc equivalent of Detroit ruin porn which was popular ten or fifteen years ago. The text only gets one star because it's so pro-Soviet it would make Walter Duranty blush. It got a little more sane toward the end, but for heaven's sake. (Apparently Stalin's policies resulted in "some deaths". Yeah, you could say that.) The editing was also awful: typos galore, sentence fragments, etc. I believe it was written by British people but it read like it had been run through Google translate. The inclusion of Auschwitz at the end seemed a bit of a non-sequitur. I bow to no man in my contempt for the Soviets, but they were not responsible for the horrors of Auschwitz so this section was out of place. But the book is well worth a look for the photos. Feel free to skip the essays.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Buildings that normally do not warrant a second glance become galleries of cultural memory, exhibiting the social detritus of a recent civilisation.”

This was a series of adventures that clearly involved an element of risk and danger as the author ended up being questioned by the Slovakian police as well as being held and interrogated by the Russian military for hours and hours. Many of the images become so abstract and surreal that they almost morph into modern art installations or pieces of public art.

The images of an Estonian prison induce a sensation of being trapped inside a bleak submarine lost in the sea of your own subconscious. An East German hospital is like an abandoned Hitchcock film set, an orphanage in Estonia is like the wasted ballroom of your nightmares brought to life. Whereas a Young Pioneer camp in Russia resembles a deleted scene from “Stranger Things”.

These are bold, striking images of alluring, haunted places. We get a well-written political and cultural history, which show the more significant events which helped shape the environment which created these places. Litchfield clearly has a gifted eye for the compelling and the obscure and succeeds in creating a chilling, sub-zero feel and this is a haunting, memorable and fascinating piece of work.

[Saku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking images of the past - taken in the present. Litchfield's pictures capture the feeling described in the intro text quite well: most of the places seem vaguely familiar yet remain so uncanny because they lack both life and modernity. While the book is a photo study of the decay of Soviet remnants, the pictures do prompt one to think about what will remain of our homes and our cities once we are gone, once they are obsolete and abandoned. As a fan of urbex the descriptions of the adventures had while taking these pictures were also interesting to read.

There are many magnificent shots included and most convey the feeling of both visiting the Communist past as well as seeing it all fall to ruin. Litchfield's photos do seem an important part of "contemporary archeology", documenting that which is gone but not yet forgotten. While we may not agree with the ideologies, their part in world history should still be recorded and examined - if for no other purpose, then at least to learn to do better in the future.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically accomplished photography which is particularly admirable in the instance of many locations being the sort where being caught could have potentially resulted in more than a slap on the back of the hand, but these photos show care and thought to their execution by showing the inherent beauty in the abandoned structures of the Soviet.
Much like other reviews, I agree that the essays contained within the book aren't really a necessity and don't add to the narrative of the images as they are comments on the history and failings of communism rather than directly related to the places photographed, however you can just skim over these if you wish.

[Liis Reiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome photos!
Essays were quite general and anybody who's already familiar with the history, will get a little bored :)

[Emre · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures illustrated the decay of environment and buildings in a beautiful sense. It was touching.

[Wendy McBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book with lots of pictures (b & w, plus colour) of all, forgotten or rundown Soviet era Eastern block buildings.

Cool!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely AMAZING photos and a dope essay to boot. Excellent.

[Peter Holford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the essays, which I thought were interesting, but average. It is, however, a photographic book and the photography is inspiring. For anyone interested in the former soviet bloc countries or urban decay, this is an essential book to own, look at and read. It is startling to be reminded of just how frail human institutions and physical structures are. Communist ideology may have failed, but I am reminded of the amazing photo essays of old Detroit that you can now find in books and online. Clearly, capitalism isn't doing so well in the 21st century either and western liberal democracy is even failing some countries too. What next, I wonder? The rise of the right, especially in Western Europe is a concern, but I am hoping that most people are essentially too decent to allow our worst dystopian fears to come to life in reality.

[Tvtowerbaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book more than the book itself.

The pictures are haunting and beautiful but the words detract. I don't think the photos need justifying. Nor do they need to be accompanied but a potted history of the Soviet Union.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the text yet, just devoured the photographs. Extraordinary images.

[Liam || Books 'n Beards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous photography from some of the eeriest locations of the former Eastern Bloc, and some neat essays on the history of the USSR and the area in general.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see all of the Soviet Era stuff just decaying, but it could have been better.

[Xian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures were great, with historical weight; essays were average in a good way because they were informative without excessive detail.

[Gabor Hernadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful photo album about the decaying remains of socialism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. A must have book if one is into the urban decay photography.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

More photos (which are amazing) than text, but interesting stories to accompany the stunning photos about life in the Soviet Bloc post 1991.

[ems · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING photos

/ the essays were not great, skip without guilt

[Lee Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid fan of abandoned places, I found the photography in this book to be absolutely stunning. It's very well reproduced and the quality of the print and design is excellent. Didn't think so much of the text, to be honest, which I didn't find particularly interesting or informative, but that didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book. Haunting, beautiful, moody images of a world that has vanished - wonderful.