Edward J. Palkot, 103
A former human resources director from the USA, Palkot still drives and plays golf. He wrote the foreword of the book

AGING GRACEFULLY

In a unique project, the award-winning photographer Karsten Thormaehlen visited 52 wise and joyful 100-year-olds all over the world to take their pictures and have them tell him what it’s like to be this old

Besides places such as Okinawa, the Andes, and Sardinia, where people often grow very old, Thormaehlen also talked to centenarians in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. His restrained yet personal photographs make the dignity and beauty of old age visible. In short biographies and quotations, the centenarians share their wisdom about love, health, humor, and a fulfilling life. Karsten Thormaehlen’s empathetic and frequently award-winning portrait series in publications ranging from Stern to Vogue have made him internationally known and inspired the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch a campaign against ageism.

Berta Maria Frieda Preis, 105

A native of Germany, Preis ran a grocery store until the 1970s. Her recipe for a long life is not to overdo anything

Kiyo Aragai, 102

A native of Japan, Aragai says that she has never argued with her husband and is at peace with herself

Tonia Nola, 103

Nola has lived all her life in a Sardinian village in Italy. She never married and has no children

Olivia Hooker, 102

At the age of six, Ku Klux Klan members plundered her home. She later earned a doctorate in psychology

Tonaki Tsuru, 103

A former factory worker, Tsuru from the Japanese island of Okinawa continues to play folk music

Antonino Porcu, 106

A forester from Italy, Porcu was abandoned by his father and raised nine children of his own

Luz Pacifica Torres, 100

A farmer from Ecuador, Torres has 30 to 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren — she has never bothered to count them

Kiichiero Nakajima, 103

This former fisherman and factory worker from Japan likes to read and is proud of his excellent memory

María Luisa Medina, 104

Medina from Ecuador recently had her first doctor’s appointment. The physician told her she didn’t need his care

Karsten Thormaehlen, Constanze Kleis: „Aging Gracefully Portraits of People Over 100“. The book, which has 120 pages and 60 color illustrations, was published by Chronicle Books on March 7, 2017, $29.95