The Shy Photographer

by Jock Carroll

Paperback. Number 86 in the Traveller's Companion Series. Gifted by author on the second free page. There is a tear along the front fold of the spine measuring three-quarters on an inch and the spine shows rubbing. There is foxing along the edges of the pages and light surface wear to the cover. No DJ. "This book is dedicated to the enjoyment of life." 210 pages.

Genres: Photography, Fiction

351 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't quite the book I thought it was when I started. Sort of a satire, the main character is indeed a shy photographer--a Canadian Forrest Gump-Gomer Pyle kind of guy. The blurb's on the cover indicate it is a little risque, and I suppose it was when it was originally published. The jokes are a little stale, but the circumstances the photographer finds himself in are entertaining. Jock Carroll was a Canadian photographer and journalist, and wrote some non-fiction as well. One of his books is based on his coverage of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. Supposedly the main female character is this particular book is based on Marilyn Monroe, who he photographed on the set of 'Niagra'. Again, one of those authors who should have written a straight bio--which would have been a better read.

[TalkinHorse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bawdy romp, presented with a sly eye and plenty of literary references and observations of social conventions. It's a tale, told by a first-person narrator, of an innocent who emerges from his nest and finds his way in the wide world of nonsense. Our hero, Arthur King, has been raised in a remote Canadian native tribe, but a kindly missionary once gave him a simple Brownie box camera, triggering Arthur's determination to become a photographer. And this is indeed Arthur's calling: To use that camera to capture the deeper truths behind mundane façades. Then one fateful day, his opportunity to go to the big city arrives, and he stumbles into the publishing world where his odyssey begins...

There's a funny bit of backstory here. The author, Jock Carroll, was himself a Canadian photojournalist, so he's writing about an environment he knows quite well, and the story has a ring of authenticity. I might speculate that Arthur King and Joe Morgan, the secondary major character, represent different aspects of Carroll himself...perhaps Joe Morgan representing Carroll's adult (worldly) self and Arthur King representing his youthful (uncorrupted) ideal. The main female character is perhaps loosely based upon Marilyn Monroe, whom Carroll had interviewed and photographed in 1952.

Although the story is not pornographic, its bawdy aura discouraged mainstream publishers and it was acquired by Olympia Press, which published it in 1961 under the title of "Bottoms Up". In 1964, the book was picked up by Bantam and republished as "The Shy Photographer", and promptly sold half a million copies.

The cover proclaims, "Candy with a camera", referring to the popular (and notorious) "Candy" novel by Maxwell Kenton (actually Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg). I'd picked up "Candy" a few years ago but didn't find it interesting enough to finish, I don't recall exactly why. I found this book more interesting. I might compare it vaguely to Voltaire's "Candide", although I really didn't enjoy "Candide" very much; it was a bit sour for my taste. This book has a lighter touch in its critique of the culture. Of course, a lot more people have heard of "Candide" than "Bottoms Up" / "The Shy Photographer", so I suppose the contrast is silly. But I offer it anyway.

Again, this is bawdy but not pornographic. If you're expecting pornography, you'll be disappointed.

Dedication: "This book is dedicated to the enjoyment of life."

Opening lines:

I'll never forget the day it all began.

The day I learned I had won Honorable Mention in the annual Popular Photography Contest. It was Kuskutinoowepesim, the month of the Freezing-Up Moon, but somehow the Arctic winter had not yet descended on Pot Lake, where I lived with my father, Mad Pierre, and my mother, Mary Bigtoe.

There you see the whimsical tone of the story. Or this exchange between Arthur and a woman he tries to assist...

Clair came back and sat down. "You just got into town?"

"Yes," I said. "You see, I'm--"

"You want to have a good time?" said Clair.

I looked closely at her, trying to divine her meaning...

...She moved her chair closer to mine. "What I mean," she said, "is do you want to have a good time with me?"

While I was pondering the significance of the remark, she put her hand on my arm, at first gently, then with increasing pressure...

...Clair pressed closer to me. "You want to have a good time?"

"Well," I said, "of course happiness is the goal of most people, I suppose. And although I am an artist--"

"All right, drink up," said Clair...

Do I need to mention that the culmination of this exchange falls short of a "good time"?

It's a fun book, and may be of particular interest to anyone connected to photography or publishing.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever.

[Tod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexy genius for the impossibly artsy.

[Katy McHenry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Periodic witty insights thinly veiling the author's fantasy of schtupping Marilyn Monroe. Reviews seem to be largely determined by gender.