The Lovers

This is one of those books you open up and immediately get lost within its pages. Fleishman’s gorgeous photographs of couples that have been together more than 50 years will quickly pull you in; and then their words, edited from Fleishman’s interviews that are sweet, funny, and honest, will prevent you from putting it down. – David Rosenberg, Slate ‘The 10 Best Photo Books of 2015’ After such great success and high demand of the first hardback edition of The Lovers, Schilt Publishing will produce a cheaper paperback edition. Featured, amongst many, in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Le Monde. The Lovers is a photographic series of couples that have shared their lives for more than 50 years. Inspired by a love letter written by Lauren Fleishman’s grandfather to her grandmother early in their marriage, Lauren was moved to find more intertwined souls like theirs. Through colour photographs, voice recordings and text, she documented the stories of intimacy and commitment of elderly couples across the United States and Europe. Working on her project in the very intimate settings of her subjects’ homes, each couple’s photograph and interview bring an honest tender portrait of love, intimate to that couple yet relatable to those in love across all ages and backgrounds. She has even photographed the couple holding the title of longest married in the world. Couples from different backgrounds provide a look at the realities of love: how the previous generation experienced it, survived it, and, more importantly, how it appears in their lives. The body politics of the project become especially clear when gay and lesbian couples or couples with ill spouses are considered. In this respect, Fleishman’s pictures play a central role in addressing homophobia and increasing awareness of age-related issues.