Varlam Shalamov's Kolyma Tales was rereleased sometime around the end of last year. New publisher, new book cover. But I liked the old Penguin Books design with the photo of two prisoners working at what looks like a gold mining operation. So, I combined the two designs, used a couple of filters, etc.
Was kind of bored with just that, so I added an additional layer of art and commentary. Hence the wily prisoner contemplating philosophical about the nature of Gulag, just before he suggests to the viewer that survival comes at any price, to avoid general labor, to get yourself set up with a cushy administrative or storeroom job, to grab whatever scraps of food that you can, and to stay out of the way of both bosses and criminals. You know, like the modern corporate workplace.
