Let Truth be the Prejudice: W. Eugene Smith, His Life and Photographs

by Ben Maddow

Author traces the life and career of the American photojournalist and looks at his photographs.

Genres: Photography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Brian Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Truth be the Prejudice is the title of the book that Gene Smith intended to publish as his way of making the world face up to the reality of “the greed, the stupidity, and the intolerances” that he witnessed and so lovingly documented in his photographs. Smith died before he could produce such a book himself; and given his compulsive quest for perfection he would likely have never completed such a task had he lived several lifetimes. Nevertheless, Let Truth be the Prejudice: W. Eugene Smith, His Life and Photographs does justice to his legacy. The biography by Ben Maddow that accompanies the photographs is much, much, more than a sketch. It’s an extensive and well researched portrait of a tortured soul. A strength of Maddow’s text, aside from being a probing and nuanced account, is the abundant quotations from Smith’s own writings. Smith’s compulsive behavior turns out to be a boon to the biographer: he kept everything, he was by any definition, a pack-rat, and this includes carbon copies of much of his correspondence.

I’ve now read three biographies of Smith: Gene Smith's Sink: A Wide-Angle View by Sam Stephenson, plus W. Eugene Smith and the Photographic Essay by Glenn Gardner Willumson; and all three are quite different and excellent. So even if you already have an acquaintance with Gene Smith, I can still heartily recommend this book. It will add to your understanding even if, like that giant of 20th century photojournalism, John Morris, observed in a letter to Gene, “Often I cannot understand you with my mind; but I feel I do understand you with my heart.” (p. 61)

[Aruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Truth Be the Prejudice by Ben Maddow tells the story of W. Eugene Smith, one of the most influential photojournalists in the 20th century.

The book is as unique in its writing as it is in its content. In some places, the book is written in almost poetic style, while giving a deeply personal account of Smith’s life—complete with his own letters and thoughts.

It follows Smith from his early years to his death, covering it all—the successes, the struggles, the heartbreaks, the moments of glory, and everything in between.


Read the full review on my blog

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this oversized coffee table book expecting a bevy of full page prints of Smith's photography. there's little of that presentation and a biography takes up nearly 80 pages. this is helpful understanding his loves, hus passion for music and contentious relationship with commercially motivated employers. Smith was a Steinbeck of the camera seeking a poetic view of social realism to celebrate the noble, assault war and even improve lives as he did for the mercury -poisoned people of Minamata.

[Alfonso de Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores análisis que se han hecho acercar del trabajo de Eugene Smith.

[Alfonso de Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores análisis que se han hecho acercar del trabajo de Eugene Smith.