Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/31
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]LUGnuts: Just finished rereading a novel called Highways to a War. Written by Christopher Koch. Koch is Austrailian and also author of The Year of Living Dangerously. Both involve photographers. On the cover of the Highways book is a still life with a Leica M3DS (I got out Paul's current article in Photo Tech and identified it) and other photojournalism paraphenalia. The book cronicles the life of a "world famous" photographer from growing up on a farm in Tasmania to covering the war in Vietnam and then disappearing into Cambodia in l975. It is one long character study, and many of the minor characters are photographers and reporters. The book is quite authentic (it seems-- I was in the army but safely defending freedom and the supply of beer in Germany at the time). It also details the problems of involvement versus objectivity, getting the dramatic picture versus getting butt shot off. And of love and loss and commitment. The author describes the character many times as carrying his ever present Leica, with a Nikon as a backup. I think we need to support such authors who tell things the way they are!!! Donal Philby San Diego