Russia as I see her is a book covering 50 years of life. It is about the Soviet Union, Russia and the transition period between one state and the other. Its author, photo reporter Yuri Abramochkin, worked for APN, one of the largest news agencies in the world. He has travelled around Russia and the world. Everything in this book is fascinating: the photo reports, the portraits, the landscapes, the memories of things that have passed, and intimations of the future. But the most valuable aspect of the book is the people; the world-famous and the unknown, Abramochkin captures both. He possesses the rare ability to see a person and reveal their inner world. Indeed, heisa brilliant portraitist. As a Kremlin photographer, Abramochkin accompanied general secretaries and presidents, engaged with kings and national leaders. But beside snapshots of politicians, he has created a whole portrait gallery of working people and personalities in science, culture and art. These photographs...