The muchawarded teju cole, photography critic for the new york times magazine and author of known and strange things, has released his first book of photographs. Blind spot feels like the fulfillment of an intellectual project that has defined most of coles. Jun 25, 2017 teju coles newest work, blind spot, a collection of the authors photos with accompanying textual commentary, is an eclectically brilliant distillation of what photography can do, and. His latest book, the hybrid lyricphoto essay blind spot, is possibly the most stunning instance of coles recursive tendencies. Teju cole on turning his photography into music with jazz. His books are blind spot, a book of photography and writing. Blind spot and black paper will be on view june 15 august 11, 2017. For four years, he wrote a monthly column for the new york times magazine as their photography critic.
Teju cole pairs text and image to explore the mysteries of the. Feb 07, 2019 teju cole was interviewed by tonny vorm in connection with the louisiana literature festival in humleb. Jun, 2017 buy the hardcover book blind spot by teju cole at indigo. Coles blind spot captures the extraordinary within the ordinary day, his work constantly starting anew and meticulously keeping going, striving to. Teju coles blind spot, a moving and playful fusion of text and image, would appear to be a solid contribution to this emerging hybrid activity whose origins perhaps lie in books like let us now praise famous men, by james agee and walker evans, or in the novels of w. Teju cole s new book of photography and prose defies categorization. This is rare because, while many people think of themselves as photographers and writers, few people are good enough at both. Teju cole blind spot october 29 january 21, 2019 closed for winter break main gallery in addition to his exhibition blind spot in the hanes gallery, the highlyregarded novelist, essayist, critic, and photographer, teju cole will speak at wfu on oct 30 as part of the voices of our time series. Like the images, the writing here is often dramatically cropped, offering fragments in lieu of extended arguments and reveries.
Blind spot by teju cole reading guidebook club discussion. Cole is based in new york, but blind spot brings together hundreds of photographs from his. Oct 18, 2018 blind spot is a philosophical piece of textual and photographic art. Blind spot is a collection of teju cole s photography from his travels across the world and his meditations on these photos. Teju cole is a photography critic for the new york times and the gore vidal professor of the practice of creative writing at harvard. Advance praise for blind spot teju coles fiction and essays are incredible, unexpected, and beautiful. In the video, teju cole talks about his book blind spot.
Teju cole is a nigerianamerican by origin, but as a writer he eschews exclusive definition by national labels such as black british or african american, which have been the cornerstones of anglophone and postcolonial writers before him, in favour of a defiant and provocative global identity. Blind spot by teju cole teju cole s elegant combination of text and photography is a beautifully nuanced dance through historical and contemporary arts and philosophy. In an excerpt from teju cole s new book, blind spot, the author writes about music, myth, vision, and cities around the world. Blind spot is not a typical book, it is very interesting to say the least.
The column was a 2016 finalist for a national magazine award. On his travels to cities around the world, cole took photos, initially to aid his memory. His most recent book, open city, won the 2012 penhemingway foundation award. Blind spot was published by random house in june 2017. Teju cole in fact, open city might have been a more appropriate title for this book than coles earlier novel, since again and again cole is using his. Teju cole explores how we see the world in blind spot. Teju coles blind spot is a lyrical essay in photographs paired with texts. A synthesis of language and photography comprise blind spot in what amounts to a soaring yet grounded exploration of the world through coles eyes or lens. Jun 15, 2017 teju coles new book of photography and essays feels like the fulfillment of an intellectual project that has defined most of his career. Teju cole sitting together in the dark the on being. Its evident, too, in cole s absorbing new book combining photography and prose, blind spot.
Jun 25, 2017 in many ways, then, blind spot continues in the vein of teju coles fiction. Apr 19, 2018 its evident, too, in coles absorbing new book combining photography and prose, blind spot. Teju cole uses his camera and his writing to pry open the. The photobook as a literary form aperture foundation ny. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. In blind spot, readers will follow teju cole s inimitable artistic vision into the visual realm, as he continues to refine the voice and intellectual obsessions that earned him such acclaim for open city.
It was a kind of a strange one, because when you look at that picture, it depends so much on a kind of sensitivity towards the environment, as if you had a radar attuned to the weird ways an object might speak. Teju cole sitting together in the dark the on being project. His pictures and texts show him to be wonderful at seeing. Gallery hours are tuesday through saturday, 10 am to 6 pm. Best sellers todays deals new releases customer service gift ideas books gift cards. John berger the first photograph in teju coles new book, blind spot, depicts neighboring suburban driveways in springtime. Praise for blind spot common things are made radiant by the quality of cole s looking. One of times top 10 nonfiction books of the year one of. Fernweh is teju cole s latest book published on mack. In blind spot, readers follow coles inimitable artistic vision into the visual realm.
In the video, teju cole talks about his book blind spot 2017. Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our pro connect email alert. With images and text from coles newly released book of the same title alongside iyers live score, blind spot investigates humanitys blindness to tragedy and injustice throughout history. Jun, 2017 as exquisitely wrought as the work of anne carson or chris marker, blind spot is a testament to the art of seeing by one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. A synthesis of language and photography comprise blind spot in what amounts to a soaring yet grounded exploration of the world through cole s eyes or lens. A chain link fence and a row of bushes with budding leaves mark property lines. Teju cole born june 27, 1975 is a nigerianamerican writer, photographer, and art historian cole is the author of a novella, every day is for the thief 2007. The guardian this lyrical essay in photographs paired with texts explores the mysteries of the ordinary. Buy blind spot book online at low prices in india blind.
Buy blind spot book online at best prices in india on. Teju cole, the photography critic of the new york times magazine, was born in the united states and raised in nigeria. Teju cole pairs text and image to explore the mysteries of. Jan 21, 2019 teju cole blind spot october 29 january 21, 2019 closed for winter break main gallery in addition to his exhibition blind spot in the hanes gallery, the highlyregarded novelist, essayist, critic, and photographer, teju cole will speak at wfu on oct 30 as part of the voices of our time series. Blind spot will present 33 photographs following the format of his most recent book of the. If blind spot, teju coles most recent book, is an extension of his work on instagram, it is only because he uses social media towards that rare and admirable. Book launch and conversation with teju cole, akinbode akinbiyi and anna jager. The book pairs the visual appeal of a photography book with literary. There is a profound connection between photography and writing for me, a connection i have built. Nigerian american writer teju cole also takes vivid photographs which, in his latest book, blind spot, he matches with passages of allusive prose. Sep 20, 2018 teju cole, author of blind spot, will team up with jazz pianist vijay iyer for an improvisational performance at the theatre at the ace hotel. Supplies are limited and books will be signed on a. Blind spot is a collection of teju coles photography from his travels across the world and his meditations on these photos. If blind spot, teju cole s most recent book, is an extension of his work on instagram, it is only because he uses social media towards that rare and admirable thing.
I am intrigued by the continuity of places, writes the awardwinning author teju cole in his newest book, blind spot, by the singing line that connects them all. In this new, luminous book, cole shows himself to be really one of the best at seeing. Pioneering jazz composer and pianist vijay iyer and nigerian american writer and photographer teju cole present a powerful new collaboration. This is rare because, while many people think of themselves as photographers and writers, few people are good enough at both to combine the two without some sort of imbalance. Teju coles new book defies categorization the forward. Hes an acclaimed novelist, an influential essayist, and an internationally exhibited photographer. Sometimes you reference the picture youve taken, sometimes you don. Teju cole is distinguished writer in residence at bard college. Each component of the book seems to have a hidden meaning.
In blind spot, readers follow cole s inimitable artistic vision into the visual realm as he continues to refine the voice, eye, and intellectual obsessions that earned him such acclaim for open city. In this new, luminous book, cole shows himself to be really one of. The first photograph in teju coles new book, blind spot, depicts neighboring suburban driveways in springtime. In more than 150 pairs of images and surprising, lyrical text, cole explores his complex relationship to the visual world through his two great passions. Jun 30, 2017 as exquisitely wrought as the work of anne carson or chris marker, blind spot is a testament to the art of seeing by one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. Teju cole in fact, open city might have been a more appropriate title for this book than cole s earlier novel, since again and again cole is using his. Blind spot teju cole i heard faint noises, the occasional car going down another street, a voice lightly thrown from its unseen body, the hum of distant machines, and the sound of my own breathing as i put one foot in.
Teju coles newest work, blind spot, a collection of the authors photos with accompanying textual commentary, is an eclectically brilliant distillation of. In blind spot, readers will follow teju coles inimitable artistic vision into the visual realm, as he continues to refine the voice and intellectual obsessions that earned him such acclaim for open city. In this new, luminous book, cole shows himself to be really. It comes across as more of a photographic memoir and multimedia novel. Nearly every page of this book has one image and an accompanying bit of text that youve written, often just one paragraph. And thats why blind spot is a book of text and images.
In every act of looking there is an expectation of meaning. As exquisitely wrought as the work of anne carson or chris marker, blind spot is a testament to the art of seeing by one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. Blind spot features the same quality of cole s luminous prose, but if his earlier works, including his penhemingwaywinning debut novel open city, favored longer sentences flavored with proustian digression, the writing here is tighter, more condensed. Teju cole, author of blind spot, will team up with jazz pianist vijay iyer for an improvisational performance at the theatre at the ace hotel. Praise for blind spot common things are made radiant by the quality of coles looking. To commemorate the last week of teju cole s highly praised first solo exhibition, blind spot and black paper, the artist will be signing copies of the associated new book, blind spot at steven kasher gallery from 46pm, tomorrow, august 8th. Jun, 2017 blind spot features the same quality of coles luminous prose, but if his earlier works, including his penhemingwaywinning debut novel open city, favored longer sentences flavored with proustian digression, the writing here is tighter, more condensed. This time around, though, he is the peripatetic narrator on an altogether more epic global journey through cities in. In more than 150 pairs of images and surprising, lyrical text, cole explores his complex. He takes us from a park in berlin to a church in lagos and beyond.
999 1643 956 1115 5 1339 1048 661 244 766 1553 1261 1656 867 366 323 1195 854 1458 753 1466 1005 57 1481 1441 514 235 4 297 969 923 1154 236 1311 723 694 267 432 1403 894 1293 318 438 689 359 1324