In 1996 Bryon MacWilliams left the relative stability of the United States for the chaos of post-Soviet Russia; and stayed. Over the course of nearly twelve years he reported on academe and the sciences for the worldrsquo;s leading publications; and sought out the best bathsmdash;or banyasmdash;everywhere he went. His story of Russia through its cult of steam begins on a frosty Sunday morning in a gypsy cab traveling to a bathhouse in Moscow; where the steam is conjured by an out-of-work carpenter named Grisha; who takes on MacWilliams as a kind of apprentice; allowing him into an otherwise closed world through which MacWilliams could see himself; and Russia; with different eyes. The Russian bathers insist; only half-jokingly; that the American is a spy.Writing in a highly engaging style; MacWilliams travels the country to convey the breadth of banya culture and what it means to steam; a process that is at once a simple cleansing and a deep purification. It awakens the body and quiets the mind; generating waves of good feeling akin to an endorphin high. Each chapter of this splendid book is an episodemdash;spanning from several hours to several daysmdash;from the Far North; Moscow; the Ural Mountains; the Solovetsky Islands; and a southern stretch of the Volga River.With Light Steam; the title is derived from the phrase used in banyas in lieu of goodbye; is the only book in English devoted to the banya and the only volume in any language to present Russia through the lens of its bath culture; the most Russian thing there is. General readers and scholars alike will be enchanted with this unforgettable portrait of a people and a millennia-spanning tradition.
#1784629 in eBooks 2006-11-01 2014-09-03File Name: B00N9TGOJU
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good reading - this is history for photographersBy Bo LorentzenWell written; good reading. this is paper-back novels for photographers. :-)Full of funny quotes along the line of "at any time there are about 50 photographers wanting to leave Magnum; that is the entire agency". This book documents the drama and creative energy of having a agency run by creative individuals.As a official worshiper of Magnum; I can say; this is required reading.If you dont know what Magnum is; and could not care less; then honestly this book is going to be a complete waste of money... BUT if you are trying to understand how 50 creative photographers have managed to work together for this long; then this is one of the books you want to read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The men and women who created this centurys images...warts and all.By DanA really good read about an important "business". Describes Magnum in all is warts and pimples in a easy to read; flowing style. Not sure what a non-photographer might get from it but I wolfed it down in a couple evenings. Recommended.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Funny-sad-depressing-inspiringBy DGReads like the worst kind of voyeuristic reality show but you cant look away because beyond the egomania and childishness is some of the greatest photography ever made. An expertly crafted; bitchy oral biography.
