The last time I was in Moscow was 1988 - that is until I shot this series about Moscow in 2008. I’m fascinated by this city which has become such a symbol for Russia. But it’s symbolic impression is misleading. Moscow is a country within a country, it is not telling of the rest of the country.
In the 20s, Egon Erwin Kisch, considered to be the creator of literary reportage, described Moscow as follows:…”orgy of contrast, Asian villages with American skyscraper houses, Tinker toy cars and limousine buses, baroque palaces and wooden shacks, street bazaars and shopping centers”. This description pretty much still applies. Maybe the city has become more brutal, more crowded, more hectic, more wealthy, more impoverished, more motorized, but also more modern, open, and more melancholic than ever before.
In the 20s, Egon Erwin Kisch, considered to be the creator of literary reportage, described Moscow as follows:…”orgy of contrast, Asian villages with American skyscraper houses, Tinker toy cars and limousine buses, baroque palaces and wooden shacks, street bazaars and shopping centers”. This description pretty much still applies. Maybe the city has become more brutal, more crowded, more hectic, more wealthy, more impoverished, more motorized, but also more modern, open, and more melancholic than ever before.
