A Vagabond in the Caucasus: With Some Notes on His Experiences Among the Russians (Kegan Paul Travellers) Book

Stephen Graham's A Vagabond in the Caucasus is a supremely unique take on travel through Russia and the Caucasus. Graham takes to the road in a modest fashion, with a bag and his camera at his side. As he arrives in Moscow not long after the Russian Revolution in 1917 he is not entirely welcomed with open arms. Instead, Graham is greeted by a group of soldiers who arrest him on the spot. He recounts this experience, as well as every moment of his time spent "vagabonding" across the Caucasus with glorious detail. His photographs capture the fleeting moments of this politically heated time in Russia with candid accuracy. In one image, ragged women from a beer house pose on their front steps: some with sneering disregard for the camera, others proud to be the subject of Graham's composition. The shot is nearly ruined by the blurred figure of what looks to be a Russian soldier passing on his beat. It is moments like these, where various aspects of culture in the Caucasus cross paths, that are so gracefully captured by Graham, between his great stories and his dedicated photography.Read More