The Address Book

by Sophie Calle

"The Address Book," a key and controversial work in Sophie Calle's oeuvre, lies at the epicenter of many layers of reality and fiction. Having found a lost address book on the street in Paris, Calle copied the pages before returning it to its anonymous owner. She then embarked on a search to come to know this stranger by contacting listed individuals--in essence, following him through the map of his acquaintances. Originally published as a serial in the newspaper "Liberation" over the course of one month, her incisive written accounts with friends, family and colleagues, juxtaposed with photographs, yield vivid subjective impressions of the address book's owner, Pierre D., while also suggesting ever more complicated stories as information is parsed and withheld by the people she encounters. Collaged through a multitude of details--from the banal to the luminous, this fragile and strangely intimate portrait of Pierre D. is a prism through which to see the desire for, and the elusivity of, knowledge. Upon learning of this work and its publication in the newspaper, Pierre D. expressed his anger, and Calle agreed not to republish the work until after his death. Until then, "The Address Book" had only been described in English--as the work of the character Maria Turner, whom Paul Auster based on Calle in his novel "Leviathan"; and in "Double Game," Calle's monograph which converses with Auster's novel. This is the first trade publication in English of "The Address Book" (Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles released a suite of lithographs modeled on the original tabloid pages from "Liberation" in an edition of 24). The book has the physical weight and feel of an actual address book with a new design of text and images which allow the story to unfold and be savored by the reader.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, France, Photography, Memoir, Poetry, Essays

104 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 1998

About the author

Sophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines identity and intimacy. She is recognized for her detective-like ability to follow strangers and investigate their private lives. Her photographic work often includes panels of text of her own writing.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Calle is a conceptual artist who performs investigations into the nature of privacy, secrecy, identity, what can be known and what is undiscoverable about other people--like a sociologist or anthropologist, but with a style and a dark curiosity and sense of illicit fun and breaking of trusts and taboos that no social scientist could muster, always with an air of danger and transgression which seems slightly sexual to me.

"The Address Book," concerns an address book the artist finds in Paris, and delineates the project: before returning the book to its owner, she photocopies it, and sets herself the task of contacting each of the people listed in the book, at which point she tells them she will reveal the name of the owner if they agree to meet her face to face, and getting them to talk about the person, Pierre D.--compiling a picture of an individual as his friends and acquaintances see him. Often she is met with fury and hangups, but many of them do meet with her, and these are fascinating interactions..

Naturally, as I read, I began to question how perhaps my own friends and acquaintances would react in such a situation, how their various impressions (colored by the fact that a total stranger who admittedly has violated my privacy in an unconscionable way) might come together in a strange portrait of a self I might not even know or recognize. for me this was the main fascination of the book.

I found it completely inspirational as I find all Sophie Calle's projects, very literary. I've been a long time admirer of her work--there's a section of my novel Paint It Black inspired by her project "The Detective", which I first saw in a museum show in the 1980's. People are sometimes repelled by the transgressive quality of her art (you only have to look at other reviews of this book to see the moral outrage) --her awareness of, and sometimes even guilt about, the transgression, while still pursing her commitment to the project in the interest of satisfying an artistic, impersonal goal.

I'm not the only author who finds her fascinating. In his novel Leviathan, Paul Auster gives a number of Calle's projects to a character, Maria. Later, Calle decided to dialogue with this book, adding "rules" to the "game" he has Maria play and then playing it herself, a project which resulted in a book published by Gemini G.E.L. (a celebrated art press where many famous artists such as Lichtenstein have created prints.) That book is called Double Game, and contains many of her most well-known projects. ("The Hotel" my favorite of them after "The Detective", ended up inspiring my short story "Room 721", published in Black Clock.)

"The Address Book" is published by Siglio Press, a very interesting publisher here in Los Angeles, whose books all lie right on the cusp between the visual and the literary--it's small and looks a lot like an address book. The original project was published daily in Liberacion in Paris in 1983, and then in 2009 Gemini GEL published a special edition of Calle photographs inspired by the interviews. Siglio has published them both together in this remarkable little volume. There's another Siglio/Calle, "Suite Venitienne" I'm looking forward to reading.

For me, Calle belongs to a small number of performance/conceptual artists I love, who explore that blurring of lines between life and artistic play or actions… I put her in the same mental category as Eleanor Antin (who lived for a year as 'the KIng of Solano Beach", and as the black Diaghilev ballerina 'Antinova'), Cindy Sherman, who recreates herself as a hundred different kinds of women, as well as the Russian artist Ilya Kabakov and his Palace of Projects (all imaginary). We sure love our games.

[Jemima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Autorin findet 1983 ein Adressbuch und kopiert dies, bevor sie es anonym zurückgibt. Sie trifft sich mit Personen, die im Adressbuch vermerkt sind, um mehr über den Besitzer zu erfahren. Diese Gespräche veröffentlichte die Autorin in mehreren Folgen in einer Tageszeitung.

Ich fand das Experiment ziemlich spannend. Eine interessante Art, einen Menschen kennenzulernen. Allerdings wäre es mir unangenehm, wenn ich der Besitzer des Adressbuchs gewesen wäre. Es ist schon recht übergriffig, auch wenn der Nachname des Besitzers nicht veröffentlicht wird. Die Erzählung scheint auf einer wahren Begebenheit zu beruhen.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

a funny investigation into a man via his contacts. also an artful rendering of the "investigation" of a stranger through their "friends". calle became rather famous for this work in 1983, and siglio of los angeles re-issued it in 2012.
for hipsters and readers and art lovers.
ask yourself what YOUR friends would report about you, if someone, a stranger, would ask. would you be handsome? a dope? kind? weird?
misunderstood

this book makes a cameo in heti's 2012 novel How Should a Person Be? A Novel from Life, joe meno's 2012 novel [though obliquely] Office Girl and i bet many more.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update 3/02/16: I adore this book even more on the reread

Original review:
This is one of those concepts I wish I’d come up with first.

Sophie Calle, while walking one day, happened upon a man’s address book that had fallen in the road. She picked it up, copied the pages, returned it to the owner, Pierre, and then proceeded to call and meet with the contacts in Pierre’s address book with the intention of piecing together an impression of his identity.

Wow.

If this sounds like a total invasion of privacy, I agree. A brilliant invasion of privacy? Couldn’t agree more. What emerges from Sophie’s interviews is a subjective yet coherent portrait of Pierre. We get a sense for his personhood and feel, though we never meet him, that we instinctively, albeit a bit through methods that feel a bit stalker-ish, know Pierre.

I was amazed that miniature narratives emerged over the course of Calle’s meetings. That the stories provided by random, unconnected individuals could produce what seemed to be a relatively comprehensive impression of Pierre encouraged me to contemplate the ways in which identity is perceived and observed. Additionally, I enjoyed the unexpected portraits of the interviewees that emerged, ever so brief as they were. The content of Pierre's life that they were willing to divulge and the way in which they presented the information was very telling.

The Address Book is an inspiration, an open invitation to consider the elements of identity that comprise a person. That it is also an invasion of privacy is interesting, given our current climate of the voluntary sacrifice of privacy. Calle tied her narrative together beautifully, accompanying the text with fitting photographs and paintings, creating a portrait of personhood and a brilliant work of art I will not soon forget.

Man, I wish I had this idea first.

[Robert Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eager to read this book, a key piece of the art of Sophie Calle. The story is well-known: Calle finds an address book of a man named Pierre D; in an attempt to get to know him, she contacts people in the address book at random and asks them to talk to her about Pierre D.; these interviews are published in Liberation; Pierre D. sees the interviews and is outraged at this violation of his privacy, and shuts the project down; a deal is made that these interviews will never be republished until after Pierre D.'s death.

I expected the book to be a bit more substantial. She hadn't really gotten very far before Pierre D. brought the hammer down. You get an impressionistic, somewhat paradoxical picture of Pierre D. It does show how a person can have seemingly contradictory qualities within one personality--a useful thing for novelists to remember. But one can't read it without feeling a little ambiguous about the invasion of Pierre D.'s privacy and the stalkerish nature of Calle's art.

[Dorene · Rating 1 out of 5]

The GOOD: This was chosen for my book club, and provoked an extremely interesting and thoughtful discussion!

The BAD: I did not like the author's abrupt writing style, nor did I appreciate her obvious attempt to increase the artistic factor to make up for the very sparse text. I found her endeavor highly inappropriate and her lack of appreciation for that made me very unconfortable with the whole premise and exercise.

The UGLY: I really regret plunking down the $25 for this book which took me less than 40 mintues to read, and which I found to be dreadful. It was not available at my local library (smart move, library).

[Nia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well - there goes 40 minutes of my life that I'll never get back!!!!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating experiment. I think I just wanted a bit more depth.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Calle finds an address book and decides to photocopy it before returning it to its owner in order to contact the owner's contact and form a picture of him.

Some people knew him well.
"He is a cloud in trousers."

Some friends talked maybe a little too much.
"He invites you to dinner at his place, serves you a sumptuous meal, good wine, then suddenly at the end takes a dish off the table as if he were thinking, 'I'm going to get conned.'"

Some refused to talk.
"I'll have no part in this! It's an outrage!"

We learn Pierre's birthday and his style of dress, the color of his hair, his age, his family details, profession and interests.

"He loves minor literature, B movies, serialized 19th century novels . . . and also opera."

I loved the concept and execution, the short texts interspersed with images. I understand the subject of the investigation, Pierre D., was offended. I understand that.

[jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sophie Calle found an address book on the street in Paris. She returned the book to its owner, but not before copying the contents. She proceeds to call through the address book and ask each person to meet with her, explaining the address book but refusing to reveal the owner's identity unless they meet with her in person. She is, essentially, creating a portrait in negative space of the man based on the impressions of his friends and acquaintances. And it's creepy. Like, really creepy. Especially all the times she visits his apartment, knowing he is out of town.

I picked this up because it's described as a read-alike for Miranda July's It Chooses You. But where Miranda July seeks connections with strangers to bring meaning to life, and say what you will about Miranda July's methods, Sophie Calle stalks this random dude, who, it turns out, becomes angry when he discovers these impressions published in the daily paper. There a context for this that I don't have - Calle's art career, Pierre D's anger, the decades that readers waited for Pierre to die so this could be published - so maybe it would be more meaningful and awesome to you if you know about those things. So I read this without context, as a stand-alone book. And I thought it was creepy.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jacques continues, 'He's a Shakespearian character, something between a clown, a human and a tragic type. His humor is the dark humor of tragedy. He constantly tells strange, heavy, suspicious stories. He makes them into novels in which he always plays the role of the victim, totally demoralized by his misfortunes and, at the same time, totally delighted with them. I remember one day someone stole his video camera, He was convinced he was the victim of a conspiracy. He would not leave his apartment; he surrounded himself with all kinds of burglary devices. And this gets us to the core of his personality—he was in a pathological state of mind, but he played it out and overdid it. This is typical of him. When he acts out like that, you never know how much of it is real, how much is fantasy, or whether he does it because he enjoys being a bit ridiculous and entertaining an audience... He has a difficult relationship with life. But with this very elaborate system, he has managed to make it livable and to make himself likable. You can find him pitiful, or you can see there his grandeur, his uniqueness. He is rebellious, but his revolts are a gesture, through which he defuses his anger. He sets many bombs, but they're imaginary bombs.'"

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine Mischung aus vollkommener Faszination, und Irritation. Diese Grenzüberschreitung und gleichzeitig die fast zärtliche Intimität. Ich habe das Buch verschlungen. Was vor allem auch ein Beweis meiner unglaublichen Neugier ist. Ich wollte alles über Pierre wissen, aber auch sehen, wie weit Sophie Calle geht.
Seitdem ich weiß, dass es dieses Buch gibt, wünsche ich mir, auf der Straße ein Adressbuch zu finden, damit ich das gleiche damit tun kann.
Es war wie eine kleine Liebesgeschichte, die die Phantasie, auch jeder Leserin, unendlich öffnet und füttert.

[Nadja Varga · Rating 5 out of 5]

natürlich 5 sterne. so schlicht, so aufregend, so bewegend, dafür brauchen andere viel mehr worte und viel mehr tamtam. wiedermal ein protokolliertes kunstprojekt, das mich einerseits inspiriert und andrerseits denken lässt "warum hab ich das nicht gemacht? warum bin ich nicht auf diese idee gekommen?" genau mein ding. und es schließt sich irgendwie ein kreis, denn als ich vor fast 30 jahren "leviathan" von paul auster las, war ich ja so begeistert von der figur, die für, wie ich viele jahre später erfahren habe, sophie calle stand/von ihr inspiriert war.

[Logan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one I was supposed to read in undergrad, same prof. Liked this experimental nonfiction work better. Wouldn’t we all like to have our friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc. paint a picture of us prior to meeting a new person? Makes me nostalgic for the physicality of a lived life. We hide it all under the guise of privacy in technology and the glamor of social media.

[Elena Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

sophie calle is such a freak, and i love her.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

unhinged project i love it

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Konzept ist ebenso faszinierend, wie abstoßend. Aber das Buch selber ist dann doch erstaunlich langweilig. Keine Ahnung, was die Moral dieser Beobachtung ist!

[Austin LaVigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Calle!

[Cheyenne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

genius

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. Assigned in graduate program. Quirky, unusual, gossipy, and the premise is outrageous. Look it up. Worth your time, especially if you like Paris.

[Robin J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Calle found an address book lost on a Paris street and she contacted many of the people listed in the book to create a portrait of the owner--a man she never directly names. The different impressions related by the various friends, colleagues and lovers of this man form a fractured but fascinating picture. Ultimately an interesting voyeuristic experience--the sophisticated French version of reality TV--that is pleasurable and engaging.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with other commenters that this was creepy and voyeuristic in a way, but I choose to give this high marks as it is one of few books I have read which mentions Lapland as a place worth devoting one's time to.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stalk much?

[Michael Ewins]

This notorious work by French artist Sophie Calle reminded me of George Perec’s An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris, if Paris were a person.

The Address Book, which was first published piecemeal in Libération between August 2 – September 4, 1983, follows the author’s investigation of one Pierre D., a man whose address book she discovered on the streets of Paris. “I will try to discover who he is without ever meeting him, and I will try to produce a portrait of him over an undetermined length of time that will depend on the willingness of his friends to talk about him—and on the turns taken by the events.” And so begins Calle's attempt at exhausting Pierre Baudry, a screenwriter and actor whose death in 2005 finally allowed The Address Book to be published; when Baudry initially discovered his sleuth-stalker’s “game,” he threatened to sue her for invasion of privacy, and she agreed not to republish the pieces until after his death.

This is my first experience with Calle’s work, but apparently she’s famous for “immersing herself in the lives of strangers,” as in her piece “Suite Vénitieene — an early entrée for Calle in becoming a pseudo-detective. For 13 days she followed a man, “Henri B.,” around Paris and then to Venice because she was intrigued, or possibly enamored, or maybe just bored.” I read that she considers The Address Book the one project where she “went too far,” noting that for "that guy [Baudry], it was very cruel.” But the results are undeniably fascinating. As Calle chases the phantom tail of her fabricated obsession, I started to feel the same nagging compulsion to know more about Pierre D., to know how close one can get to another body without being seen by it - reading The Address Book feels like being a voyeur on somebody else's voyeurism, creating a Matryoshka doll of stolen identities, each distant impression smaller than the last. The whole thing reminded me of Jacques Rivette's epic Out 1, especially the plot involving Colin, who becomes fixated on solving a mystery that doesn't exist, a mystery that takes him on a directionless journey around Paris with a series of arbitrary 'clues' as his only guide. This is such a moreish and provocative little red book, made all the more delicious by its design, which replicates Pierre's actual address book. I'm now half tempted to leave it behind in a café for some unsuspecting stranger to find, to start a mystery of their own...

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a puzzling, unique, and quick read. I think the concept is sound in theory. To get to know someone from the perspective of their friends and acquaintances through directed vignettes from co-workers, students, ex-lovers, friends, etc. Where this book lost me was in the writing style, which was so truncated I often had a hard time determining what any one sentence was referring to, and when Calle was still on a certain subject versus when she had moved onto something else.
The best parts of this book are when we get direct quotes from the people Calle is interviewing. Outside of these quotes, unfortunately, I found myself unable to grasp onto a consistent narratological voice. I suppose this makes sense if we assume Calle is trying to extricate herself from this text as much as possible so that we can see Pierre solely through the eyes of his addressees, but it leaves the book feeling a bit soulless. There is also a much longer discussion to be had about privacy, and the bounds of Calle in this endeavor into some very intimate parts of Pierre's life. As the reader, you can’t help but feel (and probably are) implicit in this invasion, which ultimately left me feeling yucky and a tad voyeuristic.
With that being said through these personal accounts of Pierre his person was revealed from many angles, that when combined leave you, at least with the illusion of knowing him in some person way. I couldn’t help but be entranced by this unique method of character development. Overall, I think this is a wonderful little book, and while I did not connect with the writing style, I appreciate that it is distinct and is consistent in its methods and goals. This book tells you clearly what it will deliver and then it delivers just that, what you do with the rest is up to you!

[Delia Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. After finding a random address book on the ground, Sophie Calle decides to piece together a portrait of its owner by calling the contacts in the book, interviewing them about their friend. Pierre D. becomes embodied through dialogue of those closest to him, ex-lovers, ex-best-friends, colleagues, and those who can only remember slight visuals. A risky project, a project that questions how we are remembered, and how the views of those around us define us, despite how we want to be defined. The perceived personality of Pierre D., a sweet loner, a talented and intellectual scriptwriter and filmmaker, a man who never achieved true romantic success or went through with any of his film ideas, and someone who studied ancient Egypt, truly obsessed with "bodies." The wrapped mummy, the elegy for the still alive man, the tomb of memories. The Address Book is a fun read for a gossip, a peeking tom kind of book, but Calle questions her ethics throughout. I can't get over the concept of writing a book all about a stranger, his mundane life, a biography on a non-famous person, the person you bump into on the streets of a city, to never see again.

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and daring premise for a conceptualist project—a quick read, intimate and provocative. Sophie Calle found an address book in the street and, instead of trying to return it, dialed up numbers of acquaintances, friends, and family to learn more about the stranger, Pierre D (though she makes no intention to meet him). Her roundabout method leads to collective portrait emerges through these short peripatetic encounters, accompanied by photos.

Poetic details and quirks—like file tabs Pierre kept on his enemies called "My Hates," or a friend declaring "he is a cloud in trousers"—are at turns endearing and elsewhere enigmatic, creating an aura of intrigue.

This book feels of a kin spirit to Georges Perec's infrarealist project An Attempt At Exhausting A Place In Paris. One month of interviews was the perfect taste—I found myself drawn in and wishing to dive more deeply, especially as details of an enigmatic love life begin to surface, though that perhaps would have entailed too much of a crossing of the unwitting subject's boundaries.

[m. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is easily the most gorgeous book in my library.

it involves the discovery of an abandoned address book on a parisian street and a funny (or horrific, ymmv) investigation of the owner by talking to his contacts. the findings were first published in a magazine over the course of a month. 100% an invasion of privacy, no doubt, but endlessly thought-provoking and intriguing. ultimately, i wish i could also do the same intrusive shit that sophie calle does in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the human condition !

it's fascinating to read this at a time when one could no longer carry it out. social media and instant messaging have rendered it impossible. makes you think long and hard about the nature of perception, performativity, relationships, communication, etc. the whole, the resulting portrait, is so much more than the sum of its parts. in this, it succeeds as a piece of conceptual art.

heard the subject threatened to sue and blackmailed calle with her nude photos until she promised not to republish the series until after his death. he passed away in 2012.

[Divine Ikpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a curious task she gave herself. I was shocked at both the openess of Pierre's friends who agreed to meet with her, as well as the immense anger of those who refused. The question of how Pierre actually looks still remains, but that's really the least important aspect of this, isn't it? It makes me wonder how my friends and acquaintances would describe me. Pierre's were at times brutally honestly about how they perceived him, it almost felt like I knew him too. A somewhat parasocial aspect to it all. Did Pierre ever meet with Sophie? Was he aware of this book? Does he resent it? Did he ever make the movie he wanted to make? At some points during the book I forgot these were accounts about a real person, as the way his friends described him made me sound like such a character. There are some quotes about him that really resonated with me. The story of his life lives on in a way he probably never imagined. But he was an odd character as well, maybe he appreciates this strange performance art about himself?

[Madeleine]

[Writing the Visual]
Adore it as a visual object.
Can’t quite get over the gnawing creepiness / intrusiveness of the premise - though the temptation to look into a found object is very human, the act of follow through feels like it breaks a lot of behavioral codes and mores.
Raises a lot of interesting questions - Is a story owned, who owns a story? Who can tell a story, who has the right? When information about someone else becomes a personal experience, is it yours? Who can one write about? What/who must a writer ask permission to do or write about, or not? What is the responsibility of the writer, if anything?
Quite an odd, but welcome reminder that the writer like the artist does not owe society anything. Write the book you want to write, not anything else, even if it’s something no one asked for or even imagined, which may not even resemble a book in several realms of what is standard.