Understanding a Photograph

Description

John Berger''s writings on photography are some of the most original of the

twentieth century. This selection contains many groundbreaking essays and

previously uncollected pieces written for exhibitions and catalogues in

which Berger probes the work of photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson

and W. Eugene Smith – and the lives of those photographed – with fierce

engagement, intensity and tenderness. The selection is made and introduced

by Geoff Dyer, author of the award-winning The Ongoing Moment. How do we

see the world around us? This is one of a number of pivotal works by

creative thinkers whose writings on art, design and the media have changed

our vision for ever. John Berger was born in London in 1926. His acclaimed

works of both fiction and non-fiction include the seminal Ways of Seeing

and the novel G., which won the Booker Prize in 1972. In 1962 he left

Britain permanently, and he now lives in a small village in the French

Alps. Geoff Dyer is the author of four novels and several non-fiction

books. Winner of the Lannan Literary Award, the International Centre of

Photography''s 2006 Infinity Award and the American Academy of Arts and

Letters''s E. M. Forster Award, Dyer is also a regular contributor to many

publications in the UK and the US. He lives in London.