Once in Europa

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Once in Europa, first published by John Berger in 1987, is reissued by Bloomsbury with poignant color images by award-winning photographer Patricia Macdonald. This moving love story unfolds against the backdrop of agrarian collapse and heavy industry in 1950s Central Europe. Odile lives with her aging father, struggling to maintain their smallholding as a local steelworks encroaches on their land. She recalls her childhood, marked by the sounds of the factory siren and the river, as her idyllic life is overshadowed by environmental destruction: "the furnaces throbbed, the river flowed, the smoke...thrust upwards into the sky." Odile's promising education is interrupted by her love for Stepan, a communist steelworker, whose sudden death at the factory leaves her pregnant and destitute. In her struggle, she finds solace with Michel, another victim of the factory's harsh realities. Berger expertly captures the tragic impact of industrialization on rural communities, blending exquisite lyricism and stoicism as Odile fights for her and her children's survival. Macdonald's photographs enhance the narrative, particularly her stunning aerial views of urban and rural landscapes, creating a sobering snapshot of late 20th-century Europa.