ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE in Romanipen — Johan Lundberg

This photobook by Johan Lundberg, published in 2005 by Journal (Sweden)  offers a direct, unfiltered gaze into Roma communities in the Balkans—seen not through the lens of distance, but through time, presence, and a slow, patient form of witnessing. Another Day of Life in Romanipen is a rare work of embedded photography, rooted in long-term engagement and crafted with deep respect for the dignity and daily rhythms of its subjects.

Shot between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lundberg’s images capture the intimacy of everyday life—rooms dimly lit in natural shadow, families gathered in fragile domestic space, eyes meeting the camera without performance. The cover photograph, a young woman reclined and watching, framed in a cloth-walled interior, sets the tone for the book: contemplative, close, and deeply human.

Bound in raw linen with a tipped-in print, the book’s design mirrors its content—quiet, tactile, and unadorned. It avoids both exoticism and sentimentalism, refusing to editorialise or over-explain. These are lives seen from within, structured by Romanipen, the invisible code of Roma identity and tradition, rarely represented from this position of proximity and care.

Supported by the Olof Palme International Center and Sida, and printed with integrity in Verona, this first edition is a testament to what happens when a photographer listens more than he looks. It belongs in Darwin as a document of cultural resistance, visual tenderness, and ethical photographic practice.

Technical Sheet
Title: Another Day of Life in Romanipen
Artist / Author: Johan Lundberg
Date: 2005
Technique / Printing Method: Offset
Medium / Materials: Hardcover with tipped-in image, linen bound
Dimensions (cm): approx. 28 × 24 cm
Language: English, Romani
Pages: Approx. 150
Publisher / Editor: Journal, Stockholm
ISBN: 91-974894-9-2
Condition: NEW