In the fall of 2017, the internationally acclaimed underground theatre troupe Belarus Free Theatre took New York by storm for a production of their harrowing anti-torture, anti-Putin play Burning Doors. Joined by Maria Alyokhina, a member of Russian punk group Pussy Riot, the play met with enthusiastic acclaim from critics. In Svetlana and Nadezhda, award-winning documentary photographer Misha Friedman and New Yorker reporter Masha Gessen take us backstage, giving us an intimate look at this fiercely creative drama troupe that cannot officially perform in its homeland.

The photojournalist Misha Friedman is renowned for his efforts to capture life in contemporary Russia, documenting subjects as varied as political corruption, the dangers of coal mining, the tuberculosis epidemic, and the Bolshoi Ballet. In publications ranging from the "New York Times," the "Washington Post," "Time," and the "New Yorker," Friedman's grimly evocative black-and-white images--"intimate, behind-the-scenes photos" ("Time")--have been credited with capturing moments of intense pathos, bleak existence, and human dignity. He has received multiple international awards for his "unflinching" lens and his intrepid reporting.
For his new collection of photographs, "Lyudmila and Natasha," Friedman trains his lens on a gay couple living on Saint Petersburg, offering a series of intimate snapshots of their relationship as it unfolds over the course of a year. Faced with a hostile political climate, financial difficulties, and often unstable living arrangements, the subjects of this stunning book reveal the possibilities for love in the most uncertain of times. With the fabled city of Saint Petersburg as its backdrop, "Lyudmila and Natasha" powerfully evokes both a vital place and the people who call it home.