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Blossoms among blossoms

Book - Legend

The book’s release was personally blessed by Mikhail Gorbachev, the then-President of the USSR.
After receiving the highest blessing, six more permits were required.

There are seven censorship stamps—permits for printing and distributing the book.

Like a hymn to womanhood, embodying the charm of blooming nature and youth.
This book is a unique phenomenon that broke through the ice of Soviet iron censorship.

The album was printed in Moscow at the “Experimental Printing House.” The first print run was 10,000 copies. However, after printing, binding, and counting, there were only 5,000 copies! A major scandal ensued. Upon investigation, it was revealed that during the printing process, the workers wrapped the unbound pages around their bodies and took those 5,000 copies home. The introductory poem for the album was written by the most famous poet of that time, Robert Rozhdestvensky. The album was published four times between 1987 and 1990, in large print runs, in five languages. In 1987, when the Chinese saw the freshly printed album at the Moscow Book Fair, they requested at least one million copies, but only for a narrow circle of specialists.

Album history

The book was accompanied by an exhibition with the same title—BLOSSOMS AMONG BLOSSOMS. It was first displayed in Moscow at the Journalists’ Union gallery “FOTOCENTR” in 1989.
The opening was attended by many distinguished guests and diplomats from various countries, including the then U.S. Ambassador, Jack Matlock.
The exhibition was displayed for several months, attracting over twenty thousand visitors daily. This book and exhibition became one of the most prominent events of PERESTROIKA. 
1989 m.
1989
After the exhibition’s opening in Moscow and its feature on the popular TV show “VZGLIAD,” the exhibition was literally stormed by the public, with lines stretching for two blocks. The police were called in but were unable to control the crowd. Mounted police were then summoned. This phenomenon did not go unnoticed by criminal groups. They managed to take over the entire exhibition and control its routes throughout the USSR. During the exhibition in Tbilisi (Georgia), a shootout occurred between these groups.
The print run of this book was enormous, but it was impossible to obtain a copy. As a result, it was sold on the black market for ten times its original price. The author even had to write a request to the Press Committee asking for permission to buy his own albums instead of receiving royalties. After the book’s release and the exhibition, another wave of enthusiasm emerged. Some brave individuals took on the task of organizing the first BEAUTY contest in the then-Soviet Union. Several dozen beauty contest participants from across the country came to Vilnius, where they were photographed. The first BEAUTY contest took place in Moscow. During the same period, the search for beauty was also happening in Lithuania, where one of the beauties found was paired with our legendary Arvydas Sabonis. The contest changed the lives of many participants.
The year was 1990. Lithuania had just declared its independence. The newly formed government sent its delegation to the first International Economic Forum in Austria. Seated at a long table: on one side were the Austrians, on the other, the Lithuanian representatives. The head of the Lithuanian delegation was Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, then the secretary of the Communist Party. The conversation felt one-sided: the Lithuanians spoke for an entire hour, while the Austrians, as if hypnotized, listened in silence. The delegation became slightly uneasy and decided to take a break. Anticipating possible difficulties, the Lithuanians had brought several copies of the “Blossoms Among Blossoms” album with them to the negotiations. During the break, they decided to gift each Austrian a copy of the album. The hosts received the gift with suspicion, as if it were a hot coal, thinking it might be just another communist manifesto. However, as they began flipping through the book and discussing it among themselves, they reacted with great enthusiasm. When they reconvened at the negotiating table, the Austrians were all smiles. The negotiations continued smoothly, leading to meaningful agreements. Contracts worth millions were signed.

Upon returning to Lithuania, A. M. Brazauskas summarized: “Our first working trip abroad was gently cushioned by Rimantas Dichavičius’ album ‘Blossoms Among Blossoms.’ They believed that communists could also be human.”

Every significant event sparks its own thoughts or interpretations for many: “Blossoms” motifs inspired a play at the Vilnius Drama Theatre. In another space, a mime group was formed, and music was composed for it (by composer Gediminas Rimkus-Rimkevičius), poet Janina Liniauskienė wrote a poem “Blossoms Among Blossoms,” and many photographers and publishers tried to replicate similar themes. Currently, a sculptural granite bas-relief “In the Rhythm of the Dunes” is being completed, which will be set in our coastal sands. Preparatory work is underway for a documentary-artistic film “Blossoms Among Blossoms,” commemorating one of the historical and cultural turning points of our complex era—a legend.

Gallery

Image #1

The first nude photograph, published for the first time in the magazine "Nemunas" in 1962.

Image #2
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image #4
image #4
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