To Tell a Story

by John Berger, Benoît Bourreau (Editor), Susan Sontag

Despite their status as intellectual giants of the twentieth century, John Berger and Susan Sontag’s artistic collaboration – and intense friendship – remains virtually unknown.

Published for the first time, To Tell a Story offers a glimpse into their shared history that spanned nearly a quarter-century. From sources such as their eponymous film broadcast, rare personal letters and archival recordings, the composite fragments build a portrait of a relationship that was often lively and challenging, sometimes trivial and always affectionate.

Berger and Sontag’s voices echo throughout these pages, riffing off the other as they grapple with their respective concerns. Above all, their conversations reveal a deep reciprocal admiration and an exchange of ideas about storytelling, the self and society that informed their own work.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 12, 2026

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Hannah Jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sontag and Berger are admired as two of the great twentieth century intellectuals, both writing prolifically on a wide range of topics - art, photography, literature and culture.

This volume brings together some of the material that links the two and sheds light on their relationship, including the transcript of a television show in which they discuss storytelling, and a selection of personal letters.

As someone who is just beginning to read their work, it was interesting to see how their ideas overlap, and to get an insight into their mutual respect.

I liked the inclusion of photos and letters, and the introduction and afterword by Benoit Bourreau gave some helpful context.