Freedom Letters has published a biography of photographer Dmitry Markov two years after his death. The book’s author, journalist Vladimir Sevrinovsky, told the outlet Veter that he had originally planned only an article, but the material he gathered proved too extensive for that format. In his account, the project became an attempt to tell not only Markov’s story, but also that of Russia from the collapse of the USSR to the war in Ukraine.
Sevrinovsky said he relied on Markov’s social media posts and books, as well as about 40 in-depth interviews. Some conversations lasted for months, with the author returning to sources after new facts emerged. He said this method allowed him to see the subject more fully, even though he had not known Markov personally while he was alive.
The journalist described Markov as one of the leading photographers of contemporary Russia and said that after the start of the war, some of his images acquired new meanings. At the same time, Sevrinovsky said Markov did not see photography as his only main role: he was also deeply involved in volunteering, working with teenagers from the orphanage in Belskoye Ustye and helping projects run by the charity Rostok.
“He saw everyone,” Sevrinovsky said, describing what he considers Markov’s defining quality: an ability to speak with and befriend people of very different views.
The author also explained why the book contains descriptions of photographs rather than the images themselves. He said disagreements with Markov’s family led him not to ask relatives for photographs. Another dispute concerned the mention of the photographer’s homosexuality: Sevrinovsky argues that removing this part of the biography would have distorted Markov’s life and turned the book into “a lie.”
In Sevrinovsky’s view, too many conflicting interpretations of Markov have emerged since his death. He therefore tried to portray not a monument, but a living, contradictory person whose life, he believes, reflected modern Russia.