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Pierre Assouline

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Biography Hardcover – November 17, 2005

by Pierre Assouline (Author)

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Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Biography
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The first full biography ever published on this complex, curious, brilliant man.

The twentieth century was the century of the image and Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was the eye of the century. Through the decades, this eye focused on Africa in the 1920s, the tragic fate of the Spanish Republicans, and the victory of the Chinese Communists. It was Cartier-Bresson who fixed in our minds the features of his contemporaries: Giacometti and Sartre as characters from their own works; Mauriac mysteriously levitating; Faulkner, Matisse, Camus, and countless others captured at the decisive moment in portraits for eternity.

An intensely private individual, Cartier-Bresson confided in his close friend Pierre Assouline over a number of years, even opening up his archives to him. Here, for the first time, we read about his youthful devotion to surrealism; his unending passion for drawing; the war and the prison camps; the friends and the women in his life. Assouline provides an acute and perceptive account of the life and philosophy of this icon of our times, and gives us an opportunity to reassess his contribution to twentieth-century photography and reportage. 23 illustrations.

Print length

280 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Thames & Hudson
Publication date

November 17, 2005
Dimensions

6.6 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
ISBN-10

050051223X
ISBN-13

978-0500512234
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Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Cartier Bresson
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Often called the father of photojournalism, Cartier-Bresson tried to give up photography as a profession four times in his life, returning to his first love, painting, repeatedly—but he always kept his Leica in his pocket. The Frenchman captured the emotion and magnitude of some of the 20th century's most significant news stories by simply turning his camera away from the main event and into the crowd. This, too, is Assouline's approach to biography. Drawing on five years of conversations with his subject, Assouline presents not a chronological or critical accounting of events but a portrait, illustrated through descriptions of Cartier-Bresson's photographs (almost none of which are reproduced in the book) and summarized with generalizations of the artist's approach toward art and life: "His taste was classical: he needed that kind of order to counter the vulgarity of the world outside" or "In affairs of the heart, he was a seductive romantic." Energetic and informative passages describe Cartier-Bresson's years as a soldier and his travels to the Ivory Coast, China and India (where he photographed Gandhi just hours before his death). Despite its gaps—such as mere passing references to Cartier-Bresson's two marriages—this smooth hagiography will inspire fans and followers to rediscover its elusive subject's remarkable oeuvre. (Nov. 28)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Pierre Assouline, a writer and journalist, has written biographies of Georges Simenon, Hergé, and others. He lives in Paris.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thames & Hudson (November 17, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 050051223X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0500512234
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.57 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,688,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,174 in Artist & Architect Biographies

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

37 global ratings

5 star		82%
4 star		10%
3 star		3%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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J.B.

Great book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 6, 2010

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For anyone who is aspiring to be a photographer or simply enjoys photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson is well-known legend in this realm of art. This book is great in all aspects-it tells of his beginnings, and tribulations, but also shares inspiring stories and words. It follows him throughout his life, and the events that affected his art. This book is not a short book, and can take some time to read. But if you like reading and enjoy this artist very much, you might not be able to put this book down. All around great book to read.

Helpful

Ricardo

The Decisive Biography?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 30, 2005

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I'm surprised to be the first reviewer of a biography of one of the worlds most revered photographers.

There are two reasons why I have given this book only three stars.

The first is the lack of photographs. Oh, there are plenty of photos OF Cartier-Bresson, but none BY Cartier-Bresson.

Although Assouline describes some of HCB's work, there are no examples.

Do Assouline and the publisher actually believe that everyone who reads this book is so familiar with HCB that they've memorized his work? More likely they have chosen not to pay the royalties.

The second reason is my disappointment with the almost complete lack of insight into the photographer's thoughts. There's plenty of information about his political beliefs (more than needed in my opinion) but nowhere does one find an explanation of what motivated him to press the shutter release.

These shortcomings aside, this is an immensely readable book. Not only does it go into the details of HCB's life, but it puts them into historical perspective. Cartier-Bresson was present at, and often involved in, some of the most important events of the 20th century.

I would have prefered a bit more detail regarding his time spent as a German prisoner of war during WWII. His meeting with Gandhi shortly before the Mahatma's death was also glossed over.

I got the feeling that Assouline was being extraordinarly kind. There is very little mention of HCB's famous temper or acerbic tongue. That would be fine if this were simply a photography book, but it's supposed to be a biography.

Being a long-time fan of Cartier-Bresson's work I did get a lot of enjoyment out of the book. I'm also familiar enough with his work that the lack of photographs wasn't a hardship. However, unless you intimately know HCB's work, you may want to familiarize yourself with it BEFORE reading the bio.

19 people found this helpful

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Barbara D

It is a good biography, but I am less a fan of ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 14, 2015

Verified Purchase

Complicated life, complicated book. It is a good biography, but I am less a fan of Cartier-Bresson after reading it.

One person found this helpful

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Donald G. Stanton

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

Great book for any one who enjoys photograpghy

Helpful

Foxworthy

An Extraordinary Life

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 20, 2009

Henri Cartier-Bresson is undoubtedly one of the giants of modern photography. Much has been written about him and particularly his approach to photography, but nothing with this depth about his personal life. This is a book for those who have held "The Decisive Moment" in their hands, who are familiar with the master's work, or at least are willing to seek out some of the many publications of Cartier-Bresson's photographs from Amazon or their local library. Leica enthusiasts should be fascinated; HCB, as he is known by many, was the first (and perhaps the best) to push the Leica to its full potential. The book includes many photographs of Cartier-Bresson himself, some never before published. It does not include any of his photographs as they are surely best seen in the masterfully produced editions of The Decisive Moment, The Scrapbook, The World of Henri Cartier-Bresson, etc. What a fascinating life HCB has led. And what a pleasure it is to learn some of the background behind photographs long familiar to us, which until now had little more attached to them than the name of the country and the year in which they were taken. The translation from the French is a bit awkward, and inaccurate, at times, but I find that more charming than an irritation. This biography fills an enormous gap. It provides a loving and extensive glimpse into a private and remarkable world, and I am thankful for it.

3 people found this helpful

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Frizzante

A misunderstood book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 19, 2007

This book has been somewhat unfairly reviewed.

I have just read this fine book from cover to cover. Whilst I found it worthy of 4 stars, I have to agree that it has some weaknesses.

- The book really should have some of the photos to which the text often refers.

- The author has assumed that readers have a good knowledge of Henri and his work.

It is not a perfect book, BUT it is a very good book, IF you already have a good idea of Cartier-Bresson's life-story and life's work.

If you are an awe-inspired follower of Henri's photography, as I am, and have a good knowledge of his photos from reading and looking at his many books, you will find this an informative, enjoyable and satisfying read.

If you were to read this in conjunction with a book that includes his most important photo's, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Photographer, you would be able to gain a great deal from reading this book.

However this is a book for the well-prepared.

I found the many anecdotes and quotations entertaining. They gave me a clearer insight into the man's life and his genius.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

CB Smith

Extraordinary errors

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 12, 2017

I can't add much to previous reviews except to note a couple of errors that surprised me. First, there's reference to a lens with an aperture of 3.5mm, when surely f/3.5 is meant. Second, there's reference to photographer Edward WATSON, when clearly Assouline means Edward WESTON, an error that occurs both in the text and in the index. It seems extraordinary that among the author, editor, indexer, and translator there was such scant knowledge of photography, technical and historical. Such errors cast doubt on the authenticity of the book overall.

One person found this helpful

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Ross J Parsons

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Awesome.

Monty

Poorly written.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 10, 2010

Verified Purchase

The authors writing style makes this book very hard to read. Would have been much better if Author wrote in a readable straight forward English style and not pretentious sentences.

3 people found this helpful

Michael B.

Excellent Book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

I have yet to start reading this book, but I browsed through it and I am planning to start this weekend to learn more about one of the greats who influences my photography. I received the book and it was well packaged and in brand new condition...very happy with my order

Amazon Customer

Informative deep study

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

Short book but Cartier Bresson lead a full and creative life and cross paths with leading artists of the Twentieth Century jr

Guen R.

Empfehlenswert, aber Vorsicht beim Kauf

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on June 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

Biographie von H.C.Bresson gehört zu den Standardwerken der dokumentarischen Fotografie.
sehr empfehlenswert. Der in englisch gefasste Druck aus Indien ist von minderer Qualität.
Vorsicht beim Kauf. Sehr starke chemische Geruchsspuren. Als Deutsche Ausgabe zwar etwas teurer,
aber ein Buch ohne Geruchsbelästigung.

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Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Biography Hardcover – November 17, 2005

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