The book, which, until now, has only been published in English and Russian, documents the two men's experiences travelling in the Russian cities of Moscow and Stalingrad (now Volgograd) as well as in Ukraine and Georgia in July-September of 1947. Steinbeck's text and Capa's photographs were published in the United States in 1948 and in Russia in 1990. The book's Hungarian translator is Laura Lukács.
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| Robert Capa |
The book provided a unique look at everyday life in the Soviet Union with honesty and a bit of humour.
In his preface to the book, Steinbeck said the he and Capa were committed to impartiality and had chosen to recount their journey in the form of a journal.
"We went to the Soviet Union with the finest equipment of rumors that has ever been assembled in one place. And in this piece we insist on one thing: if we set down a rumor, it will be called a rumor....We have wondered how to set this trip down and, after much discussion, have decided to write it as it happened, day by day, experience by experience, and sight by sight, without departmentalizing."
Steinbeck was also careful to note that the book was not "the Russian story, but simply a Russian story."
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
Photo: hirado.hu, allposters.com
