| Proust in the Power of Photography Contributor(s): Brassaï (Author), Howard, Richard (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0226071448 ISBN-13: 9780226071442 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $55.44 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2001 Annotation: Translated by Richard Howard from "Marcel Proust sous l'emprise de la photographie," One of the most original and memorable photographers of the twentieth century, Brassai was also a journalist, sculptor, and writer. He took great pride in his writing, and he loved literature and language-French most of all. When he arrived in Paris in 1924, Brassai began teaching himself French by reading Proust. Captured by the sensuality and visual strategies of Proust's writing, Brassai soon became convinced that he had discovered a kindred spirit. Brassai wrote: "In his battle against Time, that enemy of our precarious existence, ever on the offensive though never openly so, it was in photography, also born of an age-old longing to halt the moment, to wrest it from the flux of 'duree' in order to 'fix' it forever in a semblance of eternity, that Proust found his best ally." He quoted Proust in his own writing, and from the annotated books in his library, we know that he spent a lifetime studying and dissecting Proust's prose, often line by line. Drawing on his own experience as a photographer and author, Brassai discovers a neglected aspect of Proust's interests, offering us a fascinating study of the role of photography both in Proust's oeuvre and in early-twentieth-century culture. Brassai shows us how Proust was excessively interested in possessing portraits of his acquaintances and how the process by which he remembered and wrote was quite similar to the ways in which photographs register and reveal life's images. This book-beautifully translated by Richard Howard-features previously obscure photographs from Brassai's High Society series and offers a rare glimpse into two of France's mostfascinating artistic minds. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Photography | Criticism - Photography | Individual Photographers - General |
| Dewey: 843.912 |
| LCCN: 2001027510 |
| Physical Information: 0.66" H x 6.31" W x 7.78" (0.76 lbs) 176 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - French |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: One of the most original and memorable photographers of the twentieth century, Brassa was also a journalist, sculptor, and writer. He took great pride in his writing, and he loved literature and language-French most of all. When he arrived in Paris in 1924, Brassa began teaching himself French by reading Proust. Captured by the sensuality and visual strategies of Proust's writing, Brassa soon became convinced that he had discovered a kindred spirit. Brassa wrote: In his battle against Time, that enemy of our precarious existence, ever on the offensive though never openly so, it was in photography, also born of an age-old longing to halt the moment, to wrest it from the flux of duration in order to 'fix' it forever in a semblance of eternity, that Proust found his best ally. He quoted Proust in his own writing, and from the annotated books in his library, we know that he spent a lifetime studying and dissecting Proust's prose, often line by line. Drawing on his own experience as a photographer and author, Brassa discovers a neglected aspect of Proust's interests, offering us a fascinating study of the role of photography both in Proust's oeuvre and in early-twentieth-century culture. Brassa shows us how Proust was excessively interested in possessing portraits of his acquaintances and how the process by which he remembered and wrote was quite similar to the ways in which photographs register and reveal life's images. This book-beautifully translated by Richard Howard-features previously obscure photographs from Brassa 's High Society series and offers a rare glimpse into two of France's most fascinating artistic minds. |
Contributor Bio(s): Brassai: - Brassaï (born Gyula Halász, 1899-1984) was a photographer, journalist, and author of many photographic monographs and literary works, including Letters to My Parents, Conversations with Picasso, and Proust in the Power of Photography. |