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Over to You: Letters Between a Father and Son
Compelling and intimate, this collection of never-before-seen letters between the celebrated art critic and essayist, John Berger and his son Yves, an artist, is a moving look at their musings on art, memory, life, death, and beyond.Written between 2015-16, with 53 color images of well-known old masters and contemporary art as well as some of the Bergers’ own drawings and watercolors, Over to You is an informal back and forth not unlike the ping-pong games father and son used to play in the barn of their house. It begins when John—who is in a Parisian suburb—sends Yves—who is in Haute Savoie—an envelope of reproductions of art that have moved him. And so they begin to reveal their thoughts looking at a Goya, Watteau, Twombly, Joan Mitchell, Durer, Caravaggio, Manet, and Euan Uglow, among many others. But the art is just a way to summon shared emotions and memories, as well as deepen their understanding of the world and its mysteries.John at 89 is the more formal teacher, Yves at 39 comes across as the younger, philosophical artist. There are John’s thoughts on the use of color, light and space in, say, a Dürer, or a Beckmann to the question of “staying fully alive”; or Yves noting how much in life exceeds our understanding, the gap between our consciousness and our feeling, between the said and the unsaid. “That’s the zone where I would like us to meet. Are you coming?” He asks his father. “I may need other eyes to confirm what is really there. Like your eyes always did.” This is an exceptional and moving tribute to a relationship between a father and son, and between two artists, as well as a thought provoking look at questions we all have about work, time, the universe, life and death.
- GenresArt
104 pages, Hardcover
Published November 12, 2024
7 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
John Berger
163 books2,633 followersJohn Peter Berger was an English art critic, novelist, painter and author. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to a BBC series, is often used as a college text.
Later he was self exiled to continental Europe, living between the french Alps in summer and the suburbs of Paris in winter. Since then, his production has increased considerably, including a variety of genres, from novel to social essay, or poetry. One of the most common themes that appears on his books is the dialectics established between modernity and memory and loss,
Another of his most remarkable works has been the trilogy titled Into Their Labours, that includes the books Pig Earth (1979), Once In Europa (1983) Lilac And Flag (1990). With those books, Berger makes a meditation about the way of the peasant, that changes one poverty for another in the city. This theme is also observed in his novel King, but there his focus is more in the rural diaspora and the bitter side of the urban way of life.
Later he was self exiled to continental Europe, living between the french Alps in summer and the suburbs of Paris in winter. Since then, his production has increased considerably, including a variety of genres, from novel to social essay, or poetry. One of the most common themes that appears on his books is the dialectics established between modernity and memory and loss,
Another of his most remarkable works has been the trilogy titled Into Their Labours, that includes the books Pig Earth (1979), Once In Europa (1983) Lilac And Flag (1990). With those books, Berger makes a meditation about the way of the peasant, that changes one poverty for another in the city. This theme is also observed in his novel King, but there his focus is more in the rural diaspora and the bitter side of the urban way of life.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 27, 2024
I love John Berger so much and this was so wholesome and wonderful and I read it in one sitting I bought it from the bookstore this morning and yeah love
August 13, 2025
"When I first went to art school (in 1943), the first thing I had to learn was the name of all pigments and whether they were derived from plants or from minerals. Those that come from minerals intrigued me. Minerals had their origin in the creation of the universe (The Big Bang theory had not yet been formulated.) Minerals were there before life began."
John Berger
John Berger
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April 8, 2025https://ocreviewofbooks.org/2025/04/0...
Of the three books he published in 1972—the year John Berger became John Berger—the first, a collection of essays, is largely forgotten. The second, Ways of Seeing, sold more copies than anything he ever wrote. The third, a novel titled G., did not, didn’t even come close, but it won him the lasting prestige of a Booker Prize.
In 1976, his third wife, Beverly, gave birth to a son. They named him Yves. Unlike his father, who gave up the first to pursue the second, Yves became both a painter and a writer, and remains both to this day. His latest book, Over to You: Letters Between a Father and Son, is both a collaboration and a kind of retrospective: John Berger died in 2017.
The book makes a generous impression from the get-go. Its deliberately utilitarian design, the thickness of its pages, the full-color illustrations (all twenty-five of them, from drawings and paintings by the Bergers to the works of Van Gogh, Manet, Giacometti, Poussin, Twombly, and more) make a persuasive argument for the production of beautiful books in an age of increasingly digital texts.
The letters themselves, transcripts of handwritten ones composed between 2015 and 2016, capture a compelling slice of the last years of Berger’s life, and offer the enduring interest of a double portrait: first, of one of the greatest art critics of the twentieth century; second, of a father on equal footing with his son.
Readers will be forgiven for expecting Berger’s letters to match the intensity of his earlier work. (They don’t.) The remarkable quality of his attention—sufficiently sustained in these pages as to distinguish, on one occasion, one white rose from a garden of competing profusions—remains intact. But his touch is lighter, more tentative, his observations typically running to half the length of his son’s.
Readers will also be forgiven for projecting even the slightest semblance of strain or struggle onto the Bergers’ relationship. Across their span of letters there isn’t an inkling of resentment or envy, not a drop of that painful longing of a son to be free of his marvelously famous father’s shadow. Instead, a mutual passion for the arts sends both men in tireless pursuit of visual material to tip into their envelopes. They can’t help but reciprocate: to enthuse, to inspire, to admire. When Yves sends a picture of Max Beckmann’s (“a woman wearing a carnival mask. A cigarette in one hand, a clown hat in the other”), his father responds in kind:
A few days before I got your Beckmann, I received a postcard from Arturo [Di Stefano]. Here it is. I put Durer’s Screech Owl beside Beckmann’s Columbine, and together they make me smile. Their two faces and tummies wink at each other.
They tend to occupy complementary roles: the father the wise old sage, his son the restless philosopher. Here's Yves charting a territory:
So much exceeds our understanding. So much remains open in what seems, or even is, closed. This gap between our consciousness and our feelings, between the visible and the invisible, between the said and the unsaid, leads to a kind of vertigo. A vertigo that’s not far from praying, or from madness. That’s the zone I would like us to meet. Are you coming?
His father responds with a “photo of a plant by Jitka Hanzlová—the Czech photographer of forests and horses,” and a painting by Caravaggio of Saint Paul thrown from his horse—“because it depicts exactly that moment of prayer or vertigo.”
Their spirited back-and-forth constitutes a continuum of such wide-ranging musings, trading memories, political sentiments, creative expressions, and, always, their deep and abiding love. It’s a thrill to watch it all unfold.
Of the three books he published in 1972—the year John Berger became John Berger—the first, a collection of essays, is largely forgotten. The second, Ways of Seeing, sold more copies than anything he ever wrote. The third, a novel titled G., did not, didn’t even come close, but it won him the lasting prestige of a Booker Prize.
In 1976, his third wife, Beverly, gave birth to a son. They named him Yves. Unlike his father, who gave up the first to pursue the second, Yves became both a painter and a writer, and remains both to this day. His latest book, Over to You: Letters Between a Father and Son, is both a collaboration and a kind of retrospective: John Berger died in 2017.
The book makes a generous impression from the get-go. Its deliberately utilitarian design, the thickness of its pages, the full-color illustrations (all twenty-five of them, from drawings and paintings by the Bergers to the works of Van Gogh, Manet, Giacometti, Poussin, Twombly, and more) make a persuasive argument for the production of beautiful books in an age of increasingly digital texts.
The letters themselves, transcripts of handwritten ones composed between 2015 and 2016, capture a compelling slice of the last years of Berger’s life, and offer the enduring interest of a double portrait: first, of one of the greatest art critics of the twentieth century; second, of a father on equal footing with his son.
Readers will be forgiven for expecting Berger’s letters to match the intensity of his earlier work. (They don’t.) The remarkable quality of his attention—sufficiently sustained in these pages as to distinguish, on one occasion, one white rose from a garden of competing profusions—remains intact. But his touch is lighter, more tentative, his observations typically running to half the length of his son’s.
Readers will also be forgiven for projecting even the slightest semblance of strain or struggle onto the Bergers’ relationship. Across their span of letters there isn’t an inkling of resentment or envy, not a drop of that painful longing of a son to be free of his marvelously famous father’s shadow. Instead, a mutual passion for the arts sends both men in tireless pursuit of visual material to tip into their envelopes. They can’t help but reciprocate: to enthuse, to inspire, to admire. When Yves sends a picture of Max Beckmann’s (“a woman wearing a carnival mask. A cigarette in one hand, a clown hat in the other”), his father responds in kind:
A few days before I got your Beckmann, I received a postcard from Arturo [Di Stefano]. Here it is. I put Durer’s Screech Owl beside Beckmann’s Columbine, and together they make me smile. Their two faces and tummies wink at each other.
They tend to occupy complementary roles: the father the wise old sage, his son the restless philosopher. Here's Yves charting a territory:
So much exceeds our understanding. So much remains open in what seems, or even is, closed. This gap between our consciousness and our feelings, between the visible and the invisible, between the said and the unsaid, leads to a kind of vertigo. A vertigo that’s not far from praying, or from madness. That’s the zone I would like us to meet. Are you coming?
His father responds with a “photo of a plant by Jitka Hanzlová—the Czech photographer of forests and horses,” and a painting by Caravaggio of Saint Paul thrown from his horse—“because it depicts exactly that moment of prayer or vertigo.”
Their spirited back-and-forth constitutes a continuum of such wide-ranging musings, trading memories, political sentiments, creative expressions, and, always, their deep and abiding love. It’s a thrill to watch it all unfold.
October 16, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy of this collection of letters between father and son, discussing art, the meaning of why people create, and how to live a life in art, told between father and son, teacher and student, and peer to peer.
I love writing letters to people, something else I got from my father along with his hairlines and portly physique. During my parents courtship my father used to send long missives to my mom with quotes from books, movies, songs, poems, his thoughts and feelings, and more, even though both lived in the Bronx, went to school in Manhattan, and pretty much saw each other everyday. My father continued doing this after they were married, mailing letters from New York where he worked, back to Connecticut. My mother was always thrilled, even though she had just seen him leave when the mail would arrive, and this went on for years. Letters were important to my father. I have the letters he sent me, and my brother still has his. My father died before email was a big thing, but I don't think he would have liked it. Spellcheck maybe he would have been a fan of. I think this book he would have been a fan of also, as he loved to learn, and these letters are not only touching and familial, but are a master's class in art appreciation and understanding. Over to You: Letters Between a Father and Son is a slim collection of letters between John Berger and his son Yves Berger dealing with art, life, seeing, and just being two people who love each others.
John Berger was an artist, a critic, a raconteur and an author whose book Ways of Seeing is a perennial backlist bestseller. His son Yves Berger, is also an essayist, and author, whose ping pong games with his father gave title to this book. A collection of letters, shared between the two, that started with John sending some postcards, with pictures of famous paintings to his son, and giving a brief description of why something works and what does not. This began to expand with longer letters, more pictures, and even inclusion of each others work. John Berger tells of meeting famous artists, sharing stories, and tales, while Yves asks question, or gives his take on why things work, and what does not. The book is illustrated with full color pictures of these works, so that one can see what the two are discussing, and learn from their words.
This book is both warm, funny and informative, almost like taking a high lever art class in book form. The book is not big, but a lot is packed into the pages. Some of the discussions might be a little over some people's heads, like mine. However I loved to be included in what these two were talking about and after some thought I could figure out what they were discussing. If nothing else it was nice seeing are that wasn't sequential art as in graphic novels. What I really enjoyed most was the way the two men wrote to each other. Not just as father and son, but as equals in many ways. People who knew what the other was saying and why he was saying it. Sharing a passion they both loved, with knowledge that both could benefit from. John Berger could talk about artists he knew from before Yves was born, while also learning from Yves questions, and analysis.
A book for artists, without a doubt. Also a book for people who love to read about people who care about something, can speak knowledgeable about it, and love each other like these two did. A surprising read, one I enjoyed but not for the reasons I expected.
I love writing letters to people, something else I got from my father along with his hairlines and portly physique. During my parents courtship my father used to send long missives to my mom with quotes from books, movies, songs, poems, his thoughts and feelings, and more, even though both lived in the Bronx, went to school in Manhattan, and pretty much saw each other everyday. My father continued doing this after they were married, mailing letters from New York where he worked, back to Connecticut. My mother was always thrilled, even though she had just seen him leave when the mail would arrive, and this went on for years. Letters were important to my father. I have the letters he sent me, and my brother still has his. My father died before email was a big thing, but I don't think he would have liked it. Spellcheck maybe he would have been a fan of. I think this book he would have been a fan of also, as he loved to learn, and these letters are not only touching and familial, but are a master's class in art appreciation and understanding. Over to You: Letters Between a Father and Son is a slim collection of letters between John Berger and his son Yves Berger dealing with art, life, seeing, and just being two people who love each others.
John Berger was an artist, a critic, a raconteur and an author whose book Ways of Seeing is a perennial backlist bestseller. His son Yves Berger, is also an essayist, and author, whose ping pong games with his father gave title to this book. A collection of letters, shared between the two, that started with John sending some postcards, with pictures of famous paintings to his son, and giving a brief description of why something works and what does not. This began to expand with longer letters, more pictures, and even inclusion of each others work. John Berger tells of meeting famous artists, sharing stories, and tales, while Yves asks question, or gives his take on why things work, and what does not. The book is illustrated with full color pictures of these works, so that one can see what the two are discussing, and learn from their words.
This book is both warm, funny and informative, almost like taking a high lever art class in book form. The book is not big, but a lot is packed into the pages. Some of the discussions might be a little over some people's heads, like mine. However I loved to be included in what these two were talking about and after some thought I could figure out what they were discussing. If nothing else it was nice seeing are that wasn't sequential art as in graphic novels. What I really enjoyed most was the way the two men wrote to each other. Not just as father and son, but as equals in many ways. People who knew what the other was saying and why he was saying it. Sharing a passion they both loved, with knowledge that both could benefit from. John Berger could talk about artists he knew from before Yves was born, while also learning from Yves questions, and analysis.
A book for artists, without a doubt. Also a book for people who love to read about people who care about something, can speak knowledgeable about it, and love each other like these two did. A surprising read, one I enjoyed but not for the reasons I expected.
February 3, 2025
• Thanks for the free book, @pantheonbooks ✨
I am a firm believer that when an artist writes a book, the book becomes more than just an amalgamation of words. It becomes a muse to be crafted onto the canvas of literature, and devoured by its readers in the purest form known.
A book written by an artist is the bridge between literature and art, and in terms of literary indulgence, it is the most flavourful dessert in a five course meal.
This book is one in that segment.
I knew John Berger as the author of 'G' which won the Booker prize, and that was the extent of my knowledge of his work. Now, I want to explore his works much more than I can comprehend because this book is a mirror to what his previous works would have entailed. Some masterpieces, indeed.
Over to You, is an epistolary non-fiction, one of my favorite subgenres to read. It consists of the letters exchanged between John and Yves Berger during 2015-2016.
Starting with an envelope of reproductions of art sent to Yves by John, the letters are back and forth, each a reply to the previous one. These letters have emotionally intimate descriptions and discussions on famous artists and their art, along with some of the duo's works as well. The book is a treat for art lovers and aficionados.
The letters by the father-son duo have deep connection with themes in art, and talk about the meaning of life, the living, and thought processes surrounding the art discussed. To soak it all in, is like taking a dip in the infinite cosmos through the medium of art.✨
Praise for the edition: The hardbound edition is drool worthy and absolutely adorable. The photographs of the art pieces that are discussed in the letters are eye candy and delight to anyone who reads it. There are glossy pages, and I applaud the idea of separating the font for John's and Yves' letters.
I am a firm believer that when an artist writes a book, the book becomes more than just an amalgamation of words. It becomes a muse to be crafted onto the canvas of literature, and devoured by its readers in the purest form known.
A book written by an artist is the bridge between literature and art, and in terms of literary indulgence, it is the most flavourful dessert in a five course meal.
This book is one in that segment.
I knew John Berger as the author of 'G' which won the Booker prize, and that was the extent of my knowledge of his work. Now, I want to explore his works much more than I can comprehend because this book is a mirror to what his previous works would have entailed. Some masterpieces, indeed.
Over to You, is an epistolary non-fiction, one of my favorite subgenres to read. It consists of the letters exchanged between John and Yves Berger during 2015-2016.
Starting with an envelope of reproductions of art sent to Yves by John, the letters are back and forth, each a reply to the previous one. These letters have emotionally intimate descriptions and discussions on famous artists and their art, along with some of the duo's works as well. The book is a treat for art lovers and aficionados.
The letters by the father-son duo have deep connection with themes in art, and talk about the meaning of life, the living, and thought processes surrounding the art discussed. To soak it all in, is like taking a dip in the infinite cosmos through the medium of art.✨
Praise for the edition: The hardbound edition is drool worthy and absolutely adorable. The photographs of the art pieces that are discussed in the letters are eye candy and delight to anyone who reads it. There are glossy pages, and I applaud the idea of separating the font for John's and Yves' letters.
December 26, 2024
Rating a collection of letters is hard for me because they are intimate moments between the two parties involved. Letters are streams of consciousness—not meant to be literary prize-winning works. However, in "Over to You," these letters shared between father, art critic Yves Berger, and son, artist John Berger read more like critical in-depth commentary versus updates about one’s daily life. Like the ping-pong game the duo loved playing going up, the letters convey the materialized version of the different ideas bouncing in their heads that they would send over to you [each other].
The letters reveal a deep appreciation of the art, instilling a sense of artistic awe in the reader, offering a new perspective on the eclectic pieces—ranging from old masters to contemporary art. From Goya to Caravaggio, 53 colored art images supplement the letters, allowing the reader to comprehend the different points being made. Soaking in their analysis of different paintings—from the brushstroke to the symbolism—was enlightening and inspiring. I was wholly impressed by the level of detail and mellifluous symphony of words orchestrated to convey the deep timbre of their passionate hearts whenever they discussed the different art pieces.
If you are a fan of art or if you fail to appreciate art, “Over to You” is a must-read to help develop a sense of how to understand the different layers that exist within a work of art. The book will surely expand your mind and deepen your appreciation of art.
If you are a fan of art or if you fail to appreciate art, “Over to You” is a must-read to help develop a sense of how to understand the different layers that exist within a work of art. The book will surely expand your mind and deepen your appreciation of art.
The letters reveal a deep appreciation of the art, instilling a sense of artistic awe in the reader, offering a new perspective on the eclectic pieces—ranging from old masters to contemporary art. From Goya to Caravaggio, 53 colored art images supplement the letters, allowing the reader to comprehend the different points being made. Soaking in their analysis of different paintings—from the brushstroke to the symbolism—was enlightening and inspiring. I was wholly impressed by the level of detail and mellifluous symphony of words orchestrated to convey the deep timbre of their passionate hearts whenever they discussed the different art pieces.
If you are a fan of art or if you fail to appreciate art, “Over to You” is a must-read to help develop a sense of how to understand the different layers that exist within a work of art. The book will surely expand your mind and deepen your appreciation of art.
If you are a fan of art or if you fail to appreciate art, “Over to You” is a must-read to help develop a sense of how to understand the different layers that exist within a work of art. The book will surely expand your mind and deepen your appreciation of art.
April 16, 2024
First off, my thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for an eARC of this book.
It has been decades since I have read Berger. Better known as an art critic than an artist (and perhaps as an novelist as well), this slim volume mixes the two.
It is an ongoing conversation betwen John Berger and his son Yves (also an artist) regarding the perception and practice of an artist. Regarding both artistic works, and the world and self. In ways it is a continuation of "Ways of Seeing".
The ebook format for this book is not recommended. There are many reproductions of artwork in here, and in the ebook format the images are scrunched together on the page of a pad reader. What they are of, let alone the detail, is almost unrecognizable at times. Also, on occasion it is hard to determine which of the two is writing - again, this may be a shortcoming only in the ebook version. There is no clear delineation between who is writing when.
OTOH, their conversation, a little slow to begin with (and moves from postcards to emails it appears), becomes an insightful and interesting commentary between the two on art and artists and practice. Also, at the end of the volume there is a collection of sketches by the two artists.
Perhaps for Berger completists, and active artists, only - but I still enjoyed the read.
4 out of 5
Publication date: November 12, 2024
It has been decades since I have read Berger. Better known as an art critic than an artist (and perhaps as an novelist as well), this slim volume mixes the two.
It is an ongoing conversation betwen John Berger and his son Yves (also an artist) regarding the perception and practice of an artist. Regarding both artistic works, and the world and self. In ways it is a continuation of "Ways of Seeing".
The ebook format for this book is not recommended. There are many reproductions of artwork in here, and in the ebook format the images are scrunched together on the page of a pad reader. What they are of, let alone the detail, is almost unrecognizable at times. Also, on occasion it is hard to determine which of the two is writing - again, this may be a shortcoming only in the ebook version. There is no clear delineation between who is writing when.
OTOH, their conversation, a little slow to begin with (and moves from postcards to emails it appears), becomes an insightful and interesting commentary between the two on art and artists and practice. Also, at the end of the volume there is a collection of sketches by the two artists.
Perhaps for Berger completists, and active artists, only - but I still enjoyed the read.
4 out of 5
Publication date: November 12, 2024
February 17, 2025
Thanks for the free book @PantheonBooks . My opinions are my own.
These letters between John Berger--essayist and art critic--and his son Yves Berger--an artist--are presented as a sort of back-and-forth between the two men, in an echo of the table tennis games they used to play in the family attic. The two exchanged this collection of letters and color images of art between 2015-16, covering a wide range of topics including art, emotions, philosophy, the meaning of life, and consciousness. I entered the book with no previous knowledge of either of these two world-renowned individuals, and a minimum of art appreciation on which to build (college art appreciation 101 is about it). Those proved to be setbacks. So much of what they shared is either over my head or intimate on a level that I would not be expected to understand--but it's also very essentially human, and I can very much relate to that. This collection is comprised of beautiful, compelling art and musings on same, and this not being within my usual line stretched me a bit mentally in the very best of ways.
These letters between John Berger--essayist and art critic--and his son Yves Berger--an artist--are presented as a sort of back-and-forth between the two men, in an echo of the table tennis games they used to play in the family attic. The two exchanged this collection of letters and color images of art between 2015-16, covering a wide range of topics including art, emotions, philosophy, the meaning of life, and consciousness. I entered the book with no previous knowledge of either of these two world-renowned individuals, and a minimum of art appreciation on which to build (college art appreciation 101 is about it). Those proved to be setbacks. So much of what they shared is either over my head or intimate on a level that I would not be expected to understand--but it's also very essentially human, and I can very much relate to that. This collection is comprised of beautiful, compelling art and musings on same, and this not being within my usual line stretched me a bit mentally in the very best of ways.
May 18, 2025
This is a beautifully printed and published book. From the images and font.
I just hoped the content would have matched the physical quality.
The title “Letter Between A Father & Son” didn’t live up to the expectation of hearing personal and emotional thoughts between a parent and an adult child.
It felt like they leaned into their visual strengths as painters versus abilities as writers. The wording/text lacked interest.
This could have been such a more personal and interesting visceral personal share and insight. They should have kept this within their own family. Not sure this was worthy of being printed.
I just hoped the content would have matched the physical quality.
The title “Letter Between A Father & Son” didn’t live up to the expectation of hearing personal and emotional thoughts between a parent and an adult child.
It felt like they leaned into their visual strengths as painters versus abilities as writers. The wording/text lacked interest.
This could have been such a more personal and interesting visceral personal share and insight. They should have kept this within their own family. Not sure this was worthy of being printed.
February 23, 2025
I bought this like so many others because I’m a big fan of John Berger, and this is a very slim volume you can read in one sitting with some lovely drawings by both John and his son- what really stirred my interest were the drawings of his son, after which I checked his Instagram and saw his etchings and work on paper, really lovely, made me want to own one! But more importantly, it is about the relationship of father and son, and the nostalgic act of writing physical letters back-and-forth to one another.
November 25, 2024
I'm a total Berger admirer. This is a series of letters of correspondence between John Berger and his son Yves. Not everything said, was of interest but it is such a joy to be a voyeur to these intellects in action.
December 30, 2024
This is an immense book written in 80-odd pages. It is full of wisdom and insight, encouraging us to look again at the world and see it in new ways. The letters are occasionally slightly strained, but generally, full of intimacy and candour and truth. I want to buy it for everyone.
February 7, 2025
I'm keeping this one short and sweet.
This collection of correspondence between a father and son, John and Yves Berger, made one beautiful book. For starters, I am a big fan of sending letters and visual materials. This checked that box instantly for me.
It's very intimate and personal and so smart and well, sweet at times. It also made me consider just how toxic the masculinity in this country is. Why did it do that? Because I was breathless at times being witness to the delicate conversations and the beautiful topics discussed between these two, and made glaringly aware of how relationships and conversations with men are so very rare. For that, I am sad. We should all be so lucky to have the closeness that these two shared.
If you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for a talk with John Berger, Over to You is your chance.
This collection of correspondence between a father and son, John and Yves Berger, made one beautiful book. For starters, I am a big fan of sending letters and visual materials. This checked that box instantly for me.
It's very intimate and personal and so smart and well, sweet at times. It also made me consider just how toxic the masculinity in this country is. Why did it do that? Because I was breathless at times being witness to the delicate conversations and the beautiful topics discussed between these two, and made glaringly aware of how relationships and conversations with men are so very rare. For that, I am sad. We should all be so lucky to have the closeness that these two shared.
If you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for a talk with John Berger, Over to You is your chance.
April 21, 2025
Wonderful and inspiring, full of sensitive thoughts about paintings and drawings.
December 18, 2024
This book is a true delight for those who, like me, have a tender spot for art, intelligent conversations and loving relationships. John and Yves Berger's correspondence, in spite of the 50-year gap, was written as equals, lovingly whilst being an expression of the depth of sensitivity and knowledge they both carry/carried.
I read very slowly, appreciating every word, every image, every moment offered by the two artists. What a joyous reading!
I read very slowly, appreciating every word, every image, every moment offered by the two artists. What a joyous reading!
May 17, 2025
Berger died in 2017.
His relevance has grown with every year that passes, and it will so continue .
His relevance has grown with every year that passes, and it will so continue .
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews