Himalaya
- Book Review,
by Anne de Sales, Eric Valli
From Publishers Weekly
Westerners tend to view the Himalayas as either a troubled political region or a mountain climbing mecca, but neither fully captures the place revealed in this magnificent book. Photographer Valli spent two decades documenting the Himalayan region and its peoples. His photographs, reproduced here in giant two-page spreads, are interspersed with short essays by cultural anthropologist de Sales, who examines how the area is being affected by the incursions of the 21st century. Many of Valli’s images lack any trace of the modern world—yaks steam in the sun, women carry heavy bundles on faint trails. Familiar views of shepherds huddled against a snowstorm make riverside fishing scenes seem even more lush and green. Valli, who learned local languages and whose love for the region is palpable, moves among his subjects easily; people young and old gaze into his lens with varying degrees of amusement. These portraits are the best part of the book, revealing a way of life that will be unimaginably foreign to most readers. "During my pilgrimages and encounters, I finally dissolved into these Himalaya," Valli writes. "Under their tutelage, this high mountain world, this gigantic barrier of rock and snow that I had thought of as a vast, hostile, impassable wall revealed itself... to be a place of passage." 200 color plates.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
For 20 years, world-renowned photographer Éric Valli traveled through the Himalaya's treacherous terrain with his camera, tirelessly exploring the breathtaking landscape of dramatic peaks and valleys. He became captivated by the region's quiet and dignified inhabitants, learning their languages and forming personal bonds with them.
This stunning collection of Valli's most beautiful photographs from his time in the Himalaya presents the region's spectacular scenery: steep and narrow pathways, lonely high valleys, dramatic passes at 16,000 feet above sea level, and remote villages seemingly untouched by modernity. But the heart of the book is Valli's images of the Himalayan people, who have remained largely hidden from outsiders in their mountainous land. These intimate photographs capture their daily lives: men plowing through the snow with a caravan of yaks and women preparing meals over open fires, as they have done for centuries. Valli also records the predicaments they face in opening their culture to the modern world. Accompanied by an insightful text by cultural anthropologist Anne de Sales, Valli's images document an awe-inspiring human adventure halfway around the world. AUTHOR BIO: Éric Valli lived for many years in the Himalaya and is one of the region's best-known photographers. He is a regular contributor to Géo and National Geographic and the author of numerous books, including Abrams' Himalaya, about the making of his first feature-length film. He now lives in Paris. Anne de Sales is a cultural anthropologist for the CNRS, the national organization for scientific research, in Paris. She spent a decade in Nepal and has written several books on shamanism.
About the Author
Éric Valli lived for many years in the Himalaya and is one of the region's best-known photographers. He is a regular contributor to Géo and National Geographic and the author of numerous books, including Abrams' Himalaya, about the making of his first feature-length film. He now lives in Paris. Anne de Sales is a cultural anthropologist for the CNRS, the national organization for scientific research, in Paris. She spent a decade in Nepal and has written several books on shamanism.
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