Kaveh Golestan: Recording the Truth in Iran 1950-2003

by Masoud Benhoud, Hojat Sepahvand, Kaveh Golestan (Photographer)

On April 2, 2003, while on an assignment for the BBC in northern Iraq, the Iranian photographer Kaveh Golestan stepped on a land mine and was killed. A photojournalist since 1972, Golestan had witnessed the recent history of his country like no other and had been a tireless chronicler of its he documented eight years of war with Iraq (including Halabjeh in 1988) and the repression of the Kurds in both Iran and Iraq. Of his aims, he once declared, "I want to show you images that will be like a slap in your face to shatter your security," an approach that increased both public awareness and public discomfort, at home and abroad. Golestan photographed for Time magazine and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Islamic revolution. He was also honored with the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1979 (although, because of Iran’s political climate, he was unable to collect this prize until 1992). A testimony to a courageous achievement, Recording the Truth in Iran collects Golestan’s powerful images for the first time.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mohammad Ali Shamekhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمره ی واقعی: سه و نیم

مجموعه ای است از نوشته ها در مورد زندگی هنری کاوه گلستان و شخصیت او به همراه گزیده ای از عکس هایش. موضوع عکس ها اینها هستند: روسپیان شهر نو، کارگران، کودکان آسایشگاه روانی شهر ری، درویشان قادری، انقلاب (روند انقلاب و حواشی آن)، جنگ هشت ساله، کردها و صدمه هایی که بابت استقلال طلبی دچارش شدند، و آوارگان جنگ

عکس های مربوط به روسپیان و آسایشگاه روانی کودکان به نظر من جذاب ترین عکس ها بودند - که البته این جذابیت بخشی هم به دلیل خود موضوع بود و نه صرفا تلاش هنری گلستان. نوشته ها هم چیزهای جالبی درش پیدا می شد. خلاصه اینکه کاش می شد کتاب را داشت

[Ali E9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my friends back in Iran was writing a piece on Kaveh Golestan — the great, late Iranian photographer — and asked me for my opinion on his essay. Reading that piece led me to search more about Golestan, and that’s how I found this book. It contains many excellent articles about him, along with a selection of his stunning works.

Golestan was many things, but being a war photographer was one of his most defining roles. This book offers a raw, unfiltered look at our region — Western Asia — especially through his documentation of the Iran–Iraq War and the 1988 Kurdish uprising in Iraq.

I wish I could see these photos printed large, displayed in a gallery. The level of access and immediacy he had to these events feels almost surreal. When I look at his images, I can imagine myself standing behind the barricades or next to that charred car, exactly where Kaveh stood when he took the shot.

A haunting and powerful collection...

[Dorsa Dehroyeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

خوشحالم، خوشحالم از اینکه دقیقا بعد خوندن -کاوه‌گلستان‌یک‌گفت‌وگو- این کتاب رو خوندم.
فهمیدم کاوه همیشه طرف حقیقت بود، حتی فارغ از اشتباه و درست بودنش، حقیقت رو بیان می‌کرد. موافقتش با انقلاب و خمینی رو‌ نمیشه نقض کرد. مثل تمام آدم‌های ۵۷.
اما مهم اینه که در نهایت اون طرف حقیقت ایستاد. فهمید که انقلاب اون سال و سمتی که حکومت رفت اشتباه بود. به نظرم همین کافیه.
بهترین کتاب برای خوندن درباره کاوه و دیدن عکس‌هاش بدون سانسور و دستکاری.

و البته نکته‌های جالبی هم توی کتاب بود.
مثل اینکه وقتی شهر نو رو آتیش زدن کاوه اونجا بود و مخالفت کرد و حتی به خیلی از زن‌های اونجا و بچه‌هاشون کمک کرد.
و اینکه توی خاکسپاری محمد مختاری عزیز هم حضور داشته که البته عکس‌هاش رو پیدا نکردم و توی کتاب هم موجود نبود.