Maurice and Katia KRAFFT: volcanoes` devils

Maurice and Katia KRAFFT:
volcanoes’ devils
(text book)
Author: André Demaison
Specifications:
Approx. 334 pages with two 8-page colour sections
Format: 140 x 223 mm
Paperback
Retail price France: 19,95 Euros
Published in July 2011
approx. 90 000 words
For a quarter and a century, Maurice and Katia Krafft, wandering vulcanologists,
witnessed over 175 volcanic eruptions.
For years, Maurice and Katia Krafft crossed and studied all the great volcanic zones of the world, except
for the ex-Soviet Union which had forbidden access at the time, and for a few of the South Pacific archipelagos.
During that time, they wrote over twenty books on the matter, some of which have been translated in over
10 languages. They each synthesise scientific knowledge of the time, accessible to the large readership, with a
mix of sensibility, emotion and on the field real life experience. The result is a very innovatory popularization
piece of work, at a time when such a thing wasn’t considered as something positive.
They even allowed children, as early as five years old, to discover the indestructible love of Earth. This
had never been seen before. For the needs of their conferences, they produced and directed five great one and
and a half films on world volcanoes. More than 4 millions enthusiastic spectators were seduced by Maurice’s
and Katia’s personalities. Their main goal was to communicate, share information, and imagine new places
where volcanoes could be introduced to people. In these circumstances, new museums and cultural places were
created thanks to them, so of which, unfortunately, the couple didn’t have a chance to discover. At the age of 45
and 49 years old, Maurice and Katia Krafft disappeared on 3rd June 1991 at 4h08 pm, taken by the hot blow
from mount Unzen, located on the Kyushu Island, in Japan.
Liberty, curiosity, creativity, transmission, but we’ll always remember passion when thinking of the
Kraffts. With courage and pugnacity, they witnessed our planet’s greatest conflagration in the second half
of the 20th century. Maurice and Katia had a global vision of their subject. They were fascinated by volcanoes.
Together, they built a unique collection of objects linked to volcanoes, to express not only their beauty, but their
incredible violence. They patiently collected paintings, postcards, engravings, comic books, art objects, old
books, basically everything that has a link to volcanoes. At a time when man and volcanoes were seen as two
different identities, they were linked together for a better understanding of both. During their twenty-five year
career, they made up the most important library and the largest iconography collection on this subject. With
their popularization action, they weren’t just witnesses, but essential actors in the prevention of volcanic
risks to governments and populations. A few days after their death, their videotape on the prevention of
volcanic risks was shown to Philippine authorities. It participated to the decision of evacuating people from the
Pinatubo volcano sides, and therefore allowed to save thousands of human beings.
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This fascinating new book is made up of 18 chapters, describing the 18 volcanoes, which are the
starting point to describe Maurice and Katia’s childhood, how they met, their philosophy on life, their life on
the field, their intimacy at home… Writing about this couple represented 35 years of the author’s life, 19 years
spent with them and 20 years remembering them, organising all the collection which he has gathered over the
years. “I can hear them talking to me about all this” says the author, André Demaison. “Each volcano is a part
of their life and often of mine. Going beyond the single scientific fact, I can always remember Maurice or
Katia telling an anecdote or a joke.”
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André Demaison has always been very interested in geology, palaeontology, vulcanology and
ethnology. In 1972, he started working closely with Maurice and Katia Krafft. This was the beginning of a 19
year collaboration. During those years, he followed them all over the world to every volcano. This allows him
to share his experience with us and explain just how incredible the Kraffts were.
André Demaison explains: “My idea for this book was to use the volcanoes which they visited, studied
with attention and mystified to unroll this story just like a long initiatory journey which started at the age of 7
for Maurice and 13 for Katia. To tell this long love story which started long before they met and ended
together on the slopes of Mount Unzen in Japan. Volcanoes have forged their character just like they have
forged mine. I felt like a tribute was the best thing I could do to remember them.”
A few pictures taken from the 16 colour page section:
Maurice Krafft, “Lava fountain”, Kilauea, Hawaii, July 1986, © Bertrand Krafft
Katia Krafft, “Crater in Stromboly”, Italy, March 1972, © Bertrand Krafft
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Katia Krafft, “Iceland”, September 1984, © Bertrand Krafft
Katia Krafft, “Lava lake in Nyiragongo”, Republic of Congo, June 1973, © Bertrand Krafft
Katia Krafft, “Nyiragongo”, Republic of Congo, June 1973, © Bertrand Krafft
Maurice Krafft, “Lava fountain”, Kilauea, Hawaii, May 1987, © Bertrand Krafft
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Maurice and Katia Krafft, Nyiragongo, Republic of Congo, June 1973, © Bertrand Krafft
Key points:
- Maurice and Katia Krafft are a world reference in the vulcanology field.
- They have published over 20 books on the subject, each translated in many languages.
- Author André Demaison, who spent 19 years by their side, brings us in the core of their life in
this fascinating text book accompanied with exclusive pictures.
- 2011 celebrates Maurice and Katia Krafft’s disappearance on a volcano in Japan.
Contact:
Éditions GLÉNAT, 39 rue du Gouverneur Éboué, 92130 Issy les Moulineaux, France
Foreign Rights: James Elliott, james.elliott@glenat.com, Phone: + 33 (0)1 41 46 09 72/Fax: + 33 (0)1 41 46 11 13
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