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
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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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format: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...?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Life Worth Living
A tribute to a young man who lived life to its fullest in his short span here on earth. The tendency is to paint him in saintly terms, but he did have flaws and his tangible... Read more
Published on September 28, 2010 by Sturmey Archer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
A more artistic interpretation of the traditionally print-driven journal, Dan Eldon's records are colorful and compelling.
Published on January 19, 2007 by Lindsay Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Amazing!
This is a very moving and powerful book from someone who was so young. It documents a movement of change and how Dan Eldon could find beauty in the simplest of things. Read more
Published on November 9, 2006 by J. Creed
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!
I love this book. The story of Dan Eldon is one everyone should read. It will change your perception of the world and how you live your life.
Published on August 13, 2006 by K. Darling
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely amazing
I purchased both The Journey is the Destination and The Art of Life on the same day. Over the next two days, I rotated the books as I couldn't decide on which one to read first. Read more
Published on July 23, 2003
3.0 out of 5 stars
good
It's a shame Kathy(his mother) never wrote this book.
By far the most imtimate and well written part of this book was the last chapter that Kathy Eldon wrote. Read more
By far the most imtimate and well written part of this book was the last chapter that Kathy Eldon wrote. Read more
Published on March 10, 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
My goodness
The books is amazing. I was doing an internet search and happened to come across Dan Eldon's web site. After which I saw his journals and then purchased this book. Read more
Published on April 23, 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dan Eldon is a Lantern
In order to get the most out of this book, check out Dan Eldon's book of collage, "The Journey is the Destination," first. Look through it over and over again. Read more
Published on February 20, 2002 by Rita King
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it.
Jennifer New's book is an achievement precisely because it doesn't deify Dan Eldon. If Dan seems larger than life in this book, it's only because he seemed equally, if not more,... Read more
Published on January 7, 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Another Mother
The beauty of Africa is revealed while reading this extraordinary account of Dan's travels. A book I could hardly put down, nor wait to return to! Read more
Published on October 31, 2001 by Julie Freitas
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