Andrey Tarkovsky, the genius of modern Russian cinema - hailed by Ingmar Bergman as "the most important director of our time" - died an exile in Paris in December 1986. In Sculpting in Time, he has left his artistic testament, a remarkable revelation of both his life and work. Since Ivan's Childhood won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1962, the visionary quality and totally original and haunting imagery of Tarkovsky's films have captivated serious movie audiences all over the world, who see in his work a continuation of the great literary traditions of nineteenth-century Russia. Many critics have tried to interpret his intensely personal vision, but he himself always remained inaccessible. In Sculpting in Time, Tarkovsky sets down his thoughts and his memories, revealing for the first time the original inspirations for his extraordinary films - Ivan's Childhood, Andrey Rublyov, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker, Nostalgia, and The Sacrifice. He discusses their history and his methods of work, he explores the many problems of visual creativity, and he sets forth the deeply autobiographical content of part of his oeuvre - most fascinatingly in The Mirror and Nostalgia. The closing chapter on The Sacrifice, dictated in the last weeks of Tarkovsky's life, makes the book essential reading for those who already know or who are just discovering his magnificent work.

安德烈·塔可夫斯基：一九三二年生於俄羅斯劄弗洛塞鎮，是詩人阿爾謝尼伊·塔可夫斯基之子。曾就學於蘇聯電影學院，一九六一年畢業。他的電影曾經贏得多項國際性大奬；第一部長故事片《伊萬的童年》於一九六二年獲得威尼斯影展金獅奬。其最後一部作品《犧牲》榮獲一九八六年夏納影展評審團特彆奬，同年十二月，塔可夫斯基因肺癌病逝於巴黎，享年五十四歲。