Parajanov himself : Photoalbum / S. Parajanov ; Design by Herman Lelie; Introduction by Zaven Sargsyan.

Notes to the pictures, p.137-140

Sergei Parajanov: A Chronology, p. 142-143

Parajanov himself is an absorbing 144-page portrait of Sergei Parajanov, one of the most colourful and revered figures in world cinema, and creator of the cult film The Colour of Pomegranates. With 85 colour reproductions of Parajanov’s compressed films, the book includes a candid interview with the artist. The selection focuses on the man himself, revealing a lesser-known aspect of his life and work. The transcribed interview with Parajanov was the basis of the documentary Parajanov: A Requiem and is accompanied by a bio/filmography. A speech given by Parajanov is also included, along with notes that help to unravel the artist’s imaginative and often idiosyncratic mixed language vocabulary.

Despite high praise and numerous prestigious awards from the international filmmaking community, Parajanov was imprisoned by the communist regime for the surrealist fantasy in his work. Directing was for him fundamentally the truth, as he perceived it, transformed into images and he believed directors are born, not trained. During his long periods of imprisonment in Soviet jails, Parajanov’s artistic energies and originality could not be hindered. He created some 800 small-scale collages from drawings, cut-up photographs and found materials he would collect in prison. One of the first books about the artist, Parajanov himself is an in-depth look at of one of the most extraordinary artistic figures of the 20th Century.