A Russian Journal

Documenting the Lives of Ordinary People in the Soviet Union

At the onset of the Cold War in 1947, the renowned American writer John Steinbeck travelled across the Soviet Union, accompanied by former war photographer Robert Cappa with the sole purpose of reporting on the ordinary lives of the Soviet people. In their forty day long journey, the famous travellers caught of a glimpse of the real Soviet Union, which was both remarkably familiar and in stark contrast with the politicised depictions of the time. Prior to its publishing, A Russian Journal was serialized and featured in the New York Herald Tribune where it was praised as a work of honest journalism. Perhaps the most notable achievement of Steinbeck's work is not so much that it brought about change but rather that it gave millions of Americans the ability to better understand life behind the iron curtain.

External Links

• Robert Capa's fotos on Magnum Agency
• Book's Entry at WorldCat