1985, ISBN: 9780500550267

Alcohol presents an exhaustive collection of previously unpublished, rare graphic Soviet anti-alcohol posters. The book includes examples from the 1960s through to the 1980s, but focuses … Mehr…

Alcohol presents an exhaustive collection of previously unpublished, rare graphic Soviet anti-alcohol posters. The book includes examples from the 1960s through to the 1980s, but focuses on those produced during the Mikhail Gorbachev campaign initiated in 1985. Displayed in public places these posters attempted to sober up the Soviet citizen by forcing them to confront the issues associated with excessive alcohol consumption. This allowed the poster designers to present the anti-alcohol message in the most graphic terms. They depicted drunks literally trapped inside the bottle or being strangled by 'the green snake'. Their protagonists always produce sub-standard work, are smashed when pregnant, neglect their families and present a constant danger to fellow citizens. These dangerous elements are paralytic freeloaders and shirkers who drive under the influence, they are violent, black-marketeers and desperate cologne drinkers... A two-part essay by renowned cultural historian Alexei Plutser-Sarno attempts to explain, from a Russian perspective, the reasons behind this phenomenon. From the rituals, 'launching fireworks on Victory Day' (being sick), to the cocktails 'The Tear of a Komsomol Girl' (lavender water, verbena, herbal lotion, nail varnish, mouthwash and lemonade), to the use of alcohol substitutes (including glue, polish and aircraft de-icing fluid). Media > Book, [PU: Thames & Hudson]<