Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of HistoryThis book is a biography of Magnum, told largely in the words of its photographers. It offers a unique perspective on half a century of world history from an extraordinary group of men and women who were front line witnesses at virtually every major event in the last fifty years. Wars, famines, natural disasters, social, political and environmental crises - Magnum photographers were there. They have been acute observers of the human condition, photographing the richest people in the world, the poorest, the least known and the most celebrated, from Marilyn Monroe to Che Guevara, JFK to Nelson Mandela, Picasso to Krushchev. This is a multi-layered story. At one level, it tells how a small group of photographrs - among them Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson and George Rodger - came together, established and nurtured a co-operative photographic agency that has survived against all the odds to become the most famous in the world. At a secondary level, it is the richly anecdotal story of the photographers themselves, their adventures around the world and their feelings about, and reactions to, their assignments. |
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Africa agency American arrived asked assignment Barbey Beirut Bischof Burri Burt Glinn called camera Capa’s Chim Chris Steele-Perkins Cornell Capa cover decided Ed Thompson editors Elliott Erwitt Eve Arnold felt film French George Rodger Gilles Peress going Haas happened Henri Cartier-Bresson idea Inge Morath interested John Morris joined Magnum journalist killed knew Koudelka later letter living London looked Lorant lunch magazine Magnum office Magnum photographers Marc Riboud meeting member of Magnum Morath Nachtwey never night organisation Paris office Peress Philip Jones Griffiths photo-journalism photo-journalists plane portfolio problems realised remember René Burri resigned returned Robert Capa Russian Salgado shooting shot Smith soldiers someone staff started stay story streets taking pictures talking tanks telephone things thought told took Vietnam walked wanted weeks Werner Bischof wrote York office young