Brassai: Letters to My Parents

by Brassaï, Peter Laki (Translation), Barna Kantor (Translation)

Nicknamed the "Eye of Paris" by Henry Miller, Brassaï was one of the great European photographers of the twentieth century. This volume of letters and photographs, many published for the first time, chronicles the fascinating early years of Brassaï's life and artistic development in Paris and Berlin during the 1920s and 1930s.

"[Brassaï] is probably the only photographer—at least in France—to have acquired such a vast audience and mastered his material to such a degree that he can express himself with a flexibility and apparent ease that is almost literary in its nature."—Jean Gallien, Photo-Monde

"The letters that Brassaï wrote to his parents between 1920 and 1940 chronicle the sometimes painful stages by which this gifted man hauled himself from penury to celebrity."—Peter Hamilton, Times Literary Supplement

"In these proud, protective, occasionally conscience-stricken missives, the young man full of eager dreams emerges as one of the century's pioneering photographers, revered for his lushly atmospheric portraits of Paris after dark."— Elle

"A fascinating insight into how a bright individual slowly found his calling."—Christine Schwartz Hartley, New York Times Book Review

Genres: Photography, Autobiography

323 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

George Brassaï (pseudonym of Gyula Halász) (9 September 1899 — 8 July 1984) was a Hungarian photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the World Wars. In the early 21st century, the discovery of more than 200 letters and hundreds of drawings and other items from the period 1940–1984 has provided scholars with material for understanding his later life and career.

Reviews

[Zahir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brassaï resonates with me for many reasons. Within just the first pages of this book, I knew it would be a special experience.

[Laura Motush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brassai was an influential photographer and artist in Paris. This book is a collection of real letters Brassai wrote to his parents describing his entire life. The letters are only about 3 pages long each, and would be easy to read aloud to the class for them to gain an understanding of a photographer beyond their actual photographs.