Description
"Comprising a photographic, poetic, and 'microhistorical' portrait of three adjoining cemeteries in El Paso, Texas-Concordia Cemetery, Temple Mt. Sinai, and B'nai Zion Cemetery -- Given: Photographs and Dispatches from El Paso Cemeteries, by Michael Dunn, seeks to present an intriguing view of boundaries: between life and death; social groups; communities; and the past, present, and future. Describing the work, Dunn writes, "The pictures seek to reveal the multiple meanings of the wall that separates the Jewish sections of the cemetery from the Catholic and public ones; the use of water in the desert to further demarcate differences between communities; and the human dignity on both sides of the wall that is evident, despite those differences." Photographed by Dunn over a ten-year period beginning in 2001, this collection also includes original poetry by Enrique González Martínez, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Emma Lazarus. Given also features thoughtful essays by David Dorado Romo and Alexander Nemerov that provide a culturally informed history of the cemeteries and a sensitive meditation on 'seeing' the place in its variety, its occasional disarray, and its quiet dignity. Given provides readers with absorbing impressions and appreciation for a place and a setting that lends themselves to reflection and remembrance"-- Provided by publisher.
ISBN 9781648434020
