Paul is currently writing a book, which is provisionally titled Shards of the Empires. The part-travelogue, part-memoir explores parts of Eastern Europe, taking a close look at the forces that have edged the continent away from stability and back towards conflict in recent years. By looking at the wreckage of past conflicts and empires, present in so many parts of this region, Paul examines traces of a unifying pattern linking them all: the empires that once controlled them.
"It all started when I tried to travel from Kiev to Crimea in the spring of 2014. Nobody knew what the official rules were anymore and, amid rampant uncertainty, I was blocked from entering Crimea. So I decided to travel to Crimea the long way round, circling the Black Sea and learning a lot about the wider region's history, beliefs and culture in the process. All of that shed much more light on what was happening in the Ukraine than I could ever have anticipated and Shards of the Empires documents that journey of realisation." - Paul Stafford
Below is a selection of photos from the trip that gives a visual idea of the book's tone and subject-matter.
Excerpts coming at a later date.
