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.
Review:
Rodger, co-founder of Magnum Photos picture agency, began his career as a still photographer for the BB. His memorable images of World War II are unsurpassed--Eric Sevareid broadcasting live during an air raid; steel-helmeted civil defense workers taking time for tea in a china cup; the corpse of a German soldier lying in front of a suburban villa in France. Yet his studies of tribal rituals and ceremonies in South Africa, Uganda and Southern Sudan after the war are just as likely to get under your skin. The humanity in Rodger's work is epitomized, perhaps, by his photo of Dr. Albert Schweitzer in his jungle office, with a kitten on his desk.
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