Photographs by Mary Ellen Mark. Introduction by John Irving.
Mary Ellen Mark's work has become a standard by which all other contemporary documentary photography is compared. The work in Indian Circus is no exception. "A beautiful young contortionist twists into an improbable pose and gazes at the camera. A trainer relaxes in the gentle, coiled embrace of his elephant's massive trunk. These and other poignant images offer an eloquent glimpse into the lives of assorted acrobats, clowns, animal trainers, and other traveling Indian circus members. Like Diane Arbus, Mary Ellen Mark's extraordinary photographs demonstrate a remarkable affinity for those living on the fringes of life, and involve the observer with a level of passion, spontaneity and dignity rarely equaled in photojournalism."--the publisher.