Susan Meiselas: On the Frontline

In On the Frontline, one of the most influential photographers of our time, Susan Meiselas, provides an insightful personal commentary on the trajectory of her career―on her ideas and processes, and her decisions as a photographer. Applying a sociological training to the practice of witness journalism, she compares her process to that of an archaeologist, piecing together shards of evidence to build a three-dimensional cultural understanding of her subjects.

Meiselas achieved worldwide recognition for her photographic coverage of the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979―first published in 1981 and now regarded as a seminal work of journalism―which followed her exploration of the experience of women on the carnival entertainment circuit, Carnival Strippers (1976). She went on to spend five years exploring and creating a new visual history of the Kurdish people, published as Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History (1997). In On the Frontline, she guides us through the thinking behind each, and many other projects besides, as well as her influential involvement in Magnum Photos as one of its earliest women members. One of the greatest contributors to the evolution of documentary storytelling, Meiselas here offers a compelling insight into her journey as a photographer and thinker.

Susan Meiselas received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA in visual education from Harvard University. For her groundbreaking work, she has received the Robert Capa Gold Medal for her project in Nicaragua (1979); Leica Award for Excellence (1982); Engelhard Award from the Institute of Contemporary Art (1985); the Hasselblad Foundation Photography Prize (1994); Cornell Capa Infinity Award (2005); and most recently the Harvard Arts Medal (2011). In 1992, she was named a MacArthur Fellow. Meiselas joined Magnum Photos in 1976 and is president of the Magnum Foundation.

Mark Holborn works worldwide as an editor and designer and was formerly an editorial director of Jonathan Cape and editor of Aperture magazine. He edited, with Michael Light, the influential Full Moon series of books illustrating the nine Apollo moon missions (1999) and Antony Gormley on Sculpture (2015). Holborn’s other books include The Great War: A Photographic Narrative (with Hilary Roberts, 2013), Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture (with Meghan Dailey, 2009), Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990–2005 (2006), and Issey Miyake (1995).