BOOK 152: CAMERA LUCIDA: ROLAND BARTHES

In a deeply personal discussion of the lasting emotional effect of certain photographs, Barthes considers photography as asymbolic, irreducible to the codes of language or culture, acting on the body as much as on the mind. The book develops the twin concepts of studium and punctum: studium denoting the cultural, linguistic, and political interpretation of a photograph, punctum denoting the wounding, personally touching detail which establishes a direct relationship with the object or person within it.

(information from Wikipedia)

FILM 1531: THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN

About a series of unsolved disappearances on the Galapagos Island of Floreana in the 1930s.

FILM 1375: REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG

REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is an intimate and nuanced investigation into the life of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Passionate and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political and feminist icons of her generation. The documentary explores Sontag's life through archival materials, accounts from friends, family, colleagues, and lovers, as well as her own words, as read by Patricia Clarkson. From her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar; from her early marriage to her last lover, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is a fascinating look at a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, illness, and terrorism still resonate today. Written by Question Why Films

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BOOK 116: WORDS: JEAN-PAUL SARTRE

The book, consisting of Sartre distancing himself from writing and making his farewells to literature was very successful for the author and was hailed nearly unanimously as a "literary success" In November of the same year, 1964, he refused the Nobel Prize for Literature awarded for his work, described as "rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has exerted a far-reaching influence on our age."

MY VERDICT: I enjoyed the second half of this book (the ‘writing’ section) much more than the first half.  I was a little bored with the whole history of Sartre’s family and found it unnecessary, however I did enjoy discovering the relationships he had with his Grandfather and Mother.  It has been a while since I read Nausea and even though Sartre makes a comment about his most recent work being his best I thought Nausea was better.

BOOK 105: WAYS OF SEEING: JOHN BERGER

The book Ways of Seeing was written by Berger and Dibb, along with Sven Blomberg, Chris Fox, and Richard Hollis. The book consists of seven numbered essays: four using words and images; and three essays using only images.