Check out my interview with Reza!

[max cooper]

Hey y'all. I've been doing some book reviews for National Geographic, and recently was blessed with the

opportunity to interview Reza, the famous war photographer. You can read the interview here:

 

http://darktopography.blogspot.com/2008/12/reza-darktopo-interview.html

 

It was really quite an experience getting to talk to him. Very humble and down-to-earth.

 

Thanks!

mc

[starvy]

hi max, may i ask why reza's last name was never mentioned in the interview or in the paragraphs before the interview starts? is there some comfort just referring to him in his first name?

 

quite interesting interview despite just having his first name.

[max cooper]

Reza does not use his last name for safety reasons. Many of the world's more authoritarian rulers are very

uncomfortable with his work. I didn't know that myself until I Googled it. Thought it was just a branding thing.

 

Thanks for checking our the interview.

[clive1]

Excellent Max. Cheers for this. You yourself have a strong writing style.

[Damon DAmato]

A really interesting interview.<br><br>The <a href="http://www.ainaworld.org/">website mentioned in the

interview</a>, has some interesting images of people in the AINA project training their Afgan journalism

students. It's in French, but don't let that stop you from looking around.

[michael s.]

Very good, Max.

 

Thank you.

[saintelmo21]

<i>"For me, you can communicate, and bring people to love Afghanistan, to love Africa, not only showing the blood,

and blood, and blood, but also showing the beauty that is in their culture, in their eyes. If you don’t like something,

you will never defend it. If you don’t like something, you will never have an idea for helping it, if you find it’s in a

difficult situation."</i>

<p>

Max, I really enjoyed your interview, the above quote from Reza was really poignant. It disturbed me to read he

believes 'we' have lost the war in Afghanistan. I know a few Marines who I doing their best over there to keep that

from happening.

[m_.]

thank you, max. you did well.

[m_.]

and elmo - i think afghanistan affair is more than a few marines' doing there. it's the f*cked up policy.

[Damon DAmato]

end </i> italics

[Damon DAmato]

<i>let me</i> try that again.

[max cooper]

<p>Hey y'all, thanks for the comments.  It's a humbling experience to speak with someone like Reza, because, no matter how much you've seen and covered, unless you've put your life on the line, it's hard to feel justified even asking the questions. <br>

I don't know if he meant "we" have lost the war in Afghanistan, as in the US-led coalition, or "we" as in people who value the free exhange of ideas, or "we" as in Afghans.  I'd never presume to know his politics.  I think, though, that Aina is a very good presence over there. <br>

Thanks again!</p>

[AJHingel]

<p>Thanks Max, you are an excellent interviewer</p>

[guendanadxi]

<p>A great site and a very interesting interview with Reza!!</p>

 

[john pearson]

<p>Wow! I was just listening about him on NPR radio today. I even went to Barns&Noble's to look at his new book, RezaWAR+Peace. It was a little too expensive ($70.00) for me at this time of the year but, I will be sure to purchase it later. Max your link seems to be dead. I will try it again later. What a great opportunity to have been able to meet and talk with him. I will be looking for him in my area.</p>