Published by Overlapse in 2018, The Tree of Life is Eternally Green is a photographic book by Pascual Martínez and Vincent Sáez about Romania’s relationship with nature. Its subject is not landscape as scenery alone, but the country’s wild and comparatively pure environments, the ways they are respected and cared for, and the intricate bond between human life and the land. The book places this relationship within a long historical frame, from the first inhabitants of Europe’s fertile territories to the rhythms of contemporary Romanian society.
The tree in the title provides both image and method. Roots extending through the soil become a figure for competing claims to space; trunk, branches, and leaves suggest how an apparently simple surface can conceal a more complex reality. In the same way, the book challenges the shallow view of Romania produced by stereotype. Its underlying argument is that the visible country is only an outer layer, and that attention to place can disclose values obscured by generalisation. The reference to Goethe’s image of the green tree of life reinforces the opposition between abstract theory and lived, organic experience.
The publication’s interest lies in this combination of photographic observation and conceptual framing. Martínez and Sáez are identified as photographers, while Minerva Luca is credited with the illustrations, making the book a collaboration rather than a single-author statement. The result is a considered account of environment, history, and national perception, attentive to both physical terrain and the ideas imposed upon it.
For collectors, the 2018 first edition offers a substantial 174-page English-language volume in trade paperback format, measuring 18.5 by 23 cm. Its documented design includes mixed paper stocks, two fold-outs, and foil on the cover and spine. As an out-of-print publication, it merits attention not through claims of scarcity or investment, but because its subject, dual-photographer authorship, and integrated visual approach give it a distinct place within contemporary photobook publishing.
