Dan Eldon: The Art of Life [Hardcover]

Jennifer New (Author), Kathy Eldon (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

Only 22 when he lost his life on assignment in Somalia, photojournalist Dan Eldon left behind much more than the journals that became the basis for Chronicle's best-seller The Journey Is the Destination. He left a lifetime of adventures that continue to inspire. Raised in Kenya, he took numerous expeditions across Africa that helped him to understand and love the continent. Through his safaris and benevolent crusades--and with interludes of study and work in the US and London, and trips around the world--he crafted a philosophy of curiosity, creativity, adventure, and charity. Intensely visual, like the life it describes, Dan Eldon: The Art of Life is more than a biography. It is an exploration of one man's will to take in everything life has to offer; an example of a life lived for art, and art experienced as lif

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eldon's powerful photographs of the escalating war in Somalia were instrumental in bringing international attention to that troubled region, and he seemed poised on the brink of an important career as a Reuters photojournalist when, in 1993, at the age of 22, he was stoned to death by a Somali mob. The posthumous The Journey Is the Destination, based on his journals, was one of the most enthusiastically received books of 1997. Eldon's youthful mastery of a fluid and vibrant collage style derived in part from the similar journals of Peter Beard, but charged with originality fully justified their publication. New's biography allows for a further selection from Eldon's 17 volumes of journals, which fittingly dominate the text both visually and thematically. Unfortunately, Eldon was in many ways a typical young man, confused, temperamental and capricious, if extraordinarily driven, and the hagiographic tone of this book is at odds with the details of his life. It is very hard to resist the temptation to make a cult of those who die young and full of promise, a temptation that New, an educational consultant in Iowa City, does not always avoid. And even granting the intrinsic interest of the journals, they are still clearly the apprentice work of someone who would have gone on to further discourses. (Oct.)Forecast: As the flipside to the young, introspective collagistes like Sabrina Ward Harrison (Brave on the Rocks, etc.), Eldon's life and work set an example of engagedness that might be tough to emulate, but should inspire younger readers. A film is in the works.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Photojournalist Eldon was 22 when he was killed by a mob in Somalia whose strong anti-American sentiments had been inflamed by the war and famine that he was documenting. It is tempting to regard Eldon as a figure whose early death is responsible for bringing him more attention than the sum of his work merited, but his capability and striking sincerity blaze from every page of New's interweaving of his photos and journal entries, including drawings, and her account of his life. Curiously, it isn't an overwhelmingly sorrowful book. Rather, it fills one with wonder at the fullness of what Eldon achieved in the short time allotted him. If his body of work is small, it constitutes a small victory, with no tragedy in it. Tragedy is supposed to inspire fear and dread, but Eldon's short life and the simple courage and curiosity with which he lived it have the power to make us brave. Will Hickman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1ST edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811829553
• ISBN-13: 978-0811829557
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Biography, February 9, 2002

By 

John William Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dan Eldon: The Art of Life (Hardcover)

This book is amazing. I first heard of Dan Eldon three years ago when I saw a special on CNN called DYING TO TELL THE STORY. That was a great program. I was very moved by it, and about a month after I saw the program I found Dan Eldon's book of journals, THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION, listed on Amazon.com. I purchased that and I was fascinated by it. At the time I had just begun doing documentary still photography, and I have been keeping a journal for years - so Dan Eldon's journals were wonderful to look at and they were really eye opening for me. I found out he and I were born the same year ( 1970 ) and it was great to see art work like the journals from someone of my generation. I love the purity of the creativity in his journals. They're beautiful.

Last year I purchased the journal workbook, SOUL CATCHER, by Kathy and Amy Eldon, and I loved that also - so when I heard about this new biography I knew it would be good for me to read. I was not disappointed. It is fascinating. As I read through the chapters and began to realize how much Dan Eldon did and experienced in his life I kept thinking, "This is incredible".

The last few chapters of this biography made me cry. And I have not been moved to tears by a book since I was a child. All of the chapters were absorbing and inspiring to me. When I first saw the documentary DYING TO TELL THE STORY advertised on CNN three years ago it caught my eye initially because I saw that the program was largely about a young photojournalist in Somalia. The more I have gotten to know about Mr. Eldon's story, the courage and the explorative nature he displayed in his life, the more inspired by it I have become.

Jennifer New has done a wonderful job. The text and information is great and I also love the design of the book. It is unconventional and colorful. There are plenty of photographs of and by Dan Eldon and plenty of examples of Dan Eldon's artwork, and they are integrated into the text in an innovative way.

This book was hard to put down and it has made me look at my present life and my future in a different way. I highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who thought passion was a thing of the past..., April 15, 2002

By 

Stephanie Halmos (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dan Eldon: The Art of Life (Hardcover)

Sometimes in life, we come across somebody who resembles in us everything we love, or envy, or just understand. Well, while reading "The Art of Life", a story about the travels of the young and corageous Dan Eldon, I stumbled upon all of these emotions and more. The book, a collaboration of work about Dan's travels, views, and passions, written by jennifer New and Kathy Eldon, is sure to spark a fire in each who reads it. This book is filled with more energy and spirit then I think I have ever possesed in all my years of being. Filled with colorful photographs and intelligent words, this story has been like a symphony to my weary eyes. After reading "The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon" (the first book published about Dan's miraculous travels and premature demise), I thought to myslef, "nothing could possibly be more beautiful or enchanting than this." I was proven wrong as soon as my hands glided over the pages of "The Art of Life". It has been wonderful to read while sitting outside in a park on a warm afternoon, as well as inside on a rainy day when you feel all hope is lost. It has been a glorious gift, reminding me that all which stands around us is something to celebrate. My only hope is that others, even if it is one small being, find this book....it will open up a genuine desire for life in you, that is sure to last for as long as you stand beneath the blue sky which hangs above.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating., October 1, 2001

By 

"danieljsanders" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dan Eldon: The Art of Life (Hardcover)

If you learn the Dan Eldon story and are not awestruck, inspired, moved, fascinated, deeply saddened and uplifted at the same time, there is something wrong with you. His short life was lived to the fullest - something not many people can truly claim, beyond the adventuresome spirit - his artwork was vibrant, colourful, emotional, playful and as full of contrast as the life he lived.

So, is this book worth buying if you already have "The Journey is the Destination"? A resounding YES. If you want to know more detail about his life (a lot of detail), see more of his art, read more of his writings. Dammit, why do the good guys die so young...?