Die Ostdeutschen

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New insights from a "quiet land" – ten years after the acclaimed photo book, Roger Melis (1940–2009) presents "Die Ostdeutschen," a collection of new, largely unknown photographs from the estate of the co-founder and promoter of East German author photography. Melis saw himself as a chronicler of his country, beginning in the mid-1960s to document events of public and private life through photography. The volume contains twelve series of images, starting with scenes from a military parade on Liberation Day in 1965, spanning 25 years to the celebration of German reunification on October 3, 1990. The photographs illuminate life in small towns, rural areas, workshops, and factories, as well as public events and private celebrations. The visual reports are accompanied by portraits of writers, artists, and actors, children, youth, and families, along with a long series of professional portraits that testify to Melis's legendary portrait artistry. The images create a nuanced picture of the people in East Germany and their working and living conditions, reflecting their skepticism and resignation, as well as their pride, spirit of resistance, and aspirations.