This book by the famous American writer, one of the key cultural figures of the XNUMXth century, has been published in Russia for the first time.
Susan Sontag, who valued extreme experiences
The American writer Sontag (in this translation, Sontag) is one of those iconic cultural figures of the 60th century who were an ethical guide for intellectuals around the world. Author of novels, screenplays and philosophical essays, she has always shown extreme courage of thought, looking beyond the forbidden. Already in the XNUMXs, she analyzed pornography as one of the most important areas of culture and for the first time described what would later be called kitsch — works about which one can say: «it’s good, because it’s terrible» — as one of the foundations of modern taste. There are no forbidden topics for her thought: in the borderline, ultimate areas of personal and cultural experience, she is looking for an answer to the question of the essence of modern man and humanity.
One such detailed response was her book On Photography. Written in the 1970s, it was first published in Russia. The book has not lost its relevance: photography still fascinates, hypnotizes. What is her strength? Sontag gives many answers to this question, linking photography now with power, now with desire — with all the components of human existence.
Susan Sontag On Photography. Translation from English by Viktor Golyshev. Ad Marginem, 272 p.