Statement from the photographer, Letizia BATTAGLIA
"Americans love the Sopranos. They don't think the mafia is like that (they see on TV), but the mafia is dangerous like ISIS. When I see ISIS soldiers, I feel like they are a little bit like mafiosi. They don't care about life. The mafia only cares about their interests and their money, and they don't care who they hurt along the way."Content
'Anthology' by Letizia BATTAGLIA features the best of her 600,000-strong archive; the Italian photographer hoped her book would illuminate the real Mafia, not the ones seen in movies, she told CNN in an exclusive television interview. 'Anthology' closes with a photo of her daughter in labor; Letizia BATTAGLIA Took the photo after she photographed a heinous and bloody mafia murder scene in 1995. 'There weren't many sweet moments in my life during those years,' BATTAGLIA said. 'When my granddaughter was born, it gave me hope.'Background information
Titled 'Anthology', this photo volume by Letizia BATTAGLIA depicts both brutal murders and the beauty of her native Sicily. The Godfather and The Sopranos may have romanticized the mob and created an entire genre of gangster films, but Letizia BATTAGLIA has seen firsthand the devastating effects of organized crime and corruption. The Sicilian photographer spent her career photographing the innocent - and not so innocent - victims of Mafia killings.'My archives are full of blood,' she said.'But I've also seen such immense beauty in the regular, complicated daily life of Sicily.
- Format
- HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 25,5 x 33,5 x 4 cm., 360 pp., richly illustrated, text language: English
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