Redeeming Calcutta: A Portrait of India's Imperial Capital - Hardcover

Raymer, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198082185 ISBN 13: 9780198082187

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Redeeming Calcutta: A Portrait of India's Imperial Capital takes a fresh look at one of Asia's great cities, a metropolis of hope and decay that was once the Second City of the British Empire after London. In this storied colonial metropolis, National Geographic photographer and educator Steve Raymer discovers a city of high culture, leftist politics, and ambitions to reclaim its past grandeur. With around 200 photographs, including historic black-and-white images, the book takes us through the streets, ghats, and corridors of Calcutta to capture the imperial/historical city, the city in motion, commerce and business, the practice of faith, the country's cultural hub, and politics. Raymer's compelling photographs, coupled with a timely and detailed text, paint an inclusive and nuanced portrait of Calcutta, a city long neglected by Western journalists except for its poverty and sorrow. The volume also includes a Foreword by acclaimed historian, Dipesh Chakrabarty.

About this title

About the Author:

Steve Raymer, photojournalist, educator, and author, teaches visual journalism, media ethics, international newsgathering, and war correspondence at Indiana University in Bloomington. Raymer was a National Geographic Magazine staff photographer for 24 years, reporting on the global hunger crisis, the humanitarian work of the International Red Cross in war zones across the world, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Dipesh Chakrabarty is currently Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor, Department of History, The University of Chicago.

Review:

"The city Steven Raymer depicts in 'Redeeming Calcutta' is one of rich colors and textures. His camera paints the city like a brush."--The Wall Street Journal

"Redeeming Calcutta is as full of sensation as the real place must be... Raymer doesn't simply photography what he observes, he becomes part of the streetscape and shows us what it's like to live there....Following a guide like Raymer, who knows the city treasures and shares them artfully, is almost like discovering it for yourself."--News Photographer

"Aliveness to the present is palpable throughout Raymer's collection of photographs, with helpful text providing context. While the physical face of the city--its many imperial buildings, riverbank vistas, and bridges old and new--is commendably photographed, the meaning-filled and meaningful faces of the city are what make this a remarkable book."--India Currents

"Raymer captures a city of high culture, leftist politics, and ambitions to reclaim its past grandeur. In Raymer's compelling photographs, the metropolis rises above its stereotyped image....The book is packed with over 200 images with accompanying text and captions, which provide a montage of a great city."--The Hindu

"Raymer's photographs are compelling. Coupled with detailed captions, these pictures portray the juxtaposition of incongruous ideals and the mélange of sights, sounds, aromas and diverse cultures that are unique to India's most frantic city."--The Hindustan Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0198082185
• ISBN 13: 9780198082187
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208