Synopsis
George Rodger began his photographic career with the BBC as a stills photographer. His baptism as a photo reporter came with his appointment as a 'stringer' for Life magazine during the Blitz on London in the most threatening days of 1940. Many of his images from that time are still in constant use, because his instinct has always been to concentrate on the humanity of his subjects, even in the face of terrible adversity.
It was for Life that George Rodger embarked on a series of adventures that were to take him to almost every theatre of the Second World War in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
The fulcrum of his career came with the liberation of Belsen. As for the first few days he was the only photographer present, the images he captured became crucially important in making known the depravity of the camps.
1948 he embarked on a campaign of photography rediscovering humanity, starting with an expedition from Cape Town to Cairo by road. He found in Africa tribes almost untouched by European influence and was able to create images of enormous power that quickly became world-famous.
This book presents the pictures that define George Rodger's long career and a commentary on his extraordinary journey. With a Foreword by Henri Cartier-Bresson and over 260 powerful images, it represents a fitting tribute to George Rodger and a celebration of his life's work.
Reviews
British photographer Rodger (1908-) is not well known to most of us, despite his photojournalistic achievements. He covered almost every theater of World War II for Life magazine, documenting his assignments and other photographic travels in a half-dozen books. With Robert Capa, David Seymour, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, he founded Magnum Photos in 1947 and continued to photograph for such illustrated magazines as National Geographic, Holiday, London Illustrated, Paris Match, and Der Stern. His most recent work, included in this retrospective volume, focuses on African tribal life. By far the most important contribution of this book is Rodger's coverage of London during the Blitz; the life of the Allied troops in Syria, Burma, Eritrea, Libya, Jordan, Afghanistan, western Africa, and Italy; and the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. The reproductions are excellent. Recommended for photojournalism and photography collections.
Kathleen Collins, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
What a priceless historical document we have in this book, despite Bernard's breezy, sketchy text, which doesn't do justice to either British photographer Rodger or his times. Rodger's pictures and their excellent captions represent mid-twentieth-century travail better than any others. Rodger witnessed World War II in a unique journey that took him 75,000 miles from Britain across Africa, the Near East, and the Indian subcontinent. Toward the end of the war, his coverage of Italy, liberated France, and the horrors of Belsen created visual documents that burn in the mind. After the war, Rodger provided coverage of Africa--especially of the Nuba of Sudan--that revealed the complexity of human culture in that continent. There are a handful of images in this book that virtually everyone will recognize, but they gain new impact when set in the visual tapestry here, which conveys not only the major upheavals of the century, but also the daily specifics. This beautifully produced collection is highly recommended. Gretchen Garner
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