They did not Stop at Eboli – UNESCO and the Campaign against Illiteracy in a Reportage by David “Chim” Seymour and texts by Carlo Levi (1950)

Recent research in UNESCO’s audio-visual archives led to the rediscovery of a forgotten photo album and diary by David “Chim” Seymour, co-founder of Magnum Photos. Created in 1950 during a UNESCO campaign against illiteracy in southern Italy, this material sheds new light on his documentation of post-war Europe. Some of these images were first published in 1952 in the UNESCO Courier, alongside a text by Carlo Levi. This newly uncovered archive has inspired the publication of They Did Not Stop at Eboli, which brings together photographs, contact sheets, press clippings and previously unknown correspondence. Enriched by scholarly essays, the book situates this work within Seymour’s broader photographic legacy, highlighting its historical, social and narrative significance.