The Nostalgic Heart

A chronicle of the artist’s 1995 travels to cities around the world. The book combines encounters with the people he met — from artists and journalists to poets and opera singers — with ruminations about place and restlessness and the changing nature of cities. Containing over ninety photographs and drawings, The Nostalgic Heart is a celebration of urban life. Coggins went to Lima, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Berlin, Prague, Delhi, Cairo, and Istanbul among other cities. He contends that the beauty and humanity of “the old square” continue to offer a model for living in the digital age. Recipient 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award “Conventional wisdom holds that travel is very broadening. This beguiling, unconventional book demonstrates that, for David Coggins at least, travel can also enhance focus. With his creative energies and humane curiosity, Coggins concentrates his attention on finding the heart of far-flung locales—a marvelous conceit, and one that offers endless possibility for encounter and discovery. In charting his course with words and images, he reveals himself, his hand, and his vision in the geography. His passion for experience and his modest, respectful awe in the face of cultures not his own resonate in every page.” George Slade, Artistic Director, Minnesota Center for Photography