French, Poursuite Books often combines maps with personal stories: the suburbs of Barcelona, the Artois, the Vendée region, the outskirts of Strasbourg… the authors of this publishing house have covered as many as 20 cities since its creation in 2005.
Two of them in particular: Hidden Treasures of the Côte d’Azur, Benoit Grimalt evokes his childhood haunts: the city of Carros-le-neuf, created in 1963 only 10km from Nice. Printed on risograph, the twenty pages of this small format book printed in 150 copies compares stereotypical images of the Côte d’Azur, “Here, everything is sunny, joyous, life is a harmonious beach” with the reality of his pictures: dark concrete zones with no visible sea. But the book, inspired by his childhood references (an email in which his father describes their arrival in Carros-le-neuf) is quickly endearing. The printing on riso, slightly pastel, gives the impression the pictures came right out of a forgotten family photo album explored by dozens of hands.
In Other Eden, Philippe Lopparelli (Tendance Floue) explores the TAAF : the French Austral and Antarctic Territories. Saint Paul, Crozet, Kerguelen and Amsterdam, volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean located between the Antarctic and the Reunion Island, come to life and, spellbound, give these 30 pages (600 copies for the first edition) magical depth. Man appears to exist only with permission, his finger on a map, his shadow on the white belly of a penguin, fragile constructions on this inhospitable land. Vast spans of rocks, sand, and foam swallowed up by timeless waves in rich black and white tones. Printed with care and attention, Poursuite books is carving out an identity that combines personal exploits with detailed geographic explorations. A furrow to follow faithfully.
