books@list.co.uk
Fiction & Biography .
PHOTOGRAPHY - - NICK DANZIGER FII‘St Wl‘lteS Putt/rig debut novel/sts
The British ~‘l-t::ri,er(;oitrrt<, 52.191; .... under the microscope. This rssue: Anna Burns
Who she?E-‘ ' ~ ."
hen Margaret Thatcher
rubbished the notion of
society a number of years back, it was apparent (as we kind of thought anyway) that she had absolutely no idea what was going on in the country.
Trashing the idea of community, family and collective social responsibility in one fell swoop, Thatcher talked of a nation of individuals. But despite poverty, crime, palatial wealth or privilege, these notions prevail. Nowhere is this theory more deftly trashed than in the photojournalism of Nick Danziger.
While taking his photographs over the last seven years, Danziger gained extraordinary access to both sides of the social divide, from the dining table of the Duke of Westminster, to the homes on the estates of Newcastle, and the treatment rooms of Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital. This universal access renders Danziger’s work all the more powerful and often very moving.
With the help of his publishers and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Danziger set out in 1994 on a journey around the UK. On his travels
Basically... t-‘umt‘tz,
through cities, villages and remote '" ' "I ” I hamlets, he took over 5000 “' f ' " 1"““9” photographs. Channel 4 A powerful and detailed catalogue of 905 Britain "' "’ " ’ " ' ' ' ‘ “ m" subsequently commissioned a TV ' ’ ’ ’ ' ' series relating to his work — Postcards From The shoots, be they distressing (the Newcastle pre-teen ‘ ' ' V " " H "1‘ Edge - in which Danziger revisited some of the indulging in a 50p bag of glue) or mundane (the head ' ' ’ ‘ T i' "' T" ’ ‘ ‘ communities he had shot. of the British Army at a tea party). The feeling is ‘ " ""7 “ 9 t' “
A second series The Fight For Hearts And Minds heavily accentuated by the stark black and white "" ‘ " ' ' it “ 'y .( ' looked at the life of junior doctors in specialist prints. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' "‘1‘" ” hospitals, while a third turned the lens on the rulers of In capturing the people of Britain, Nick Danziger has ' ' l ’ “‘ ‘ f 1 V” the country and was titled The Establishment. There, chosen to shoot them in their environment. This, 1 ' ' "‘ U ’L he walked the real corridors of power, honing in on along with the book’s format (two front covers, one "’ ‘ ‘ " ‘f "L " " " "" groups like judges, politicians, military and art world. upside down, with the pictures arranged into rich and ' H ' " H The British successfully collects stills from these and poor) reaffirms the divisions in British society. Not a ' ’ W 'H w ’H "1 other projects and builds into a detailed catalogue not subtle method, granted, but an effective, worthwhile ' 1’ " 5" ‘1 only of one man’s travels but also of the state of one, as he gathers together photographs of people ' '1’
Britain in the 19905. who may have no real concept of one another. A “St Paragraph teSt ‘
Danziger’s style is unforgiving and he often brings thoughtful and eye-opening way to see first hand how " mi . w: .: out the extremes in the subjects and situations he both sides live. (Mark Robertson) T“ 1’ f‘ '/ ‘ ” DETECTIVE MYSTERY w r ' tr" 1 f ALEXANDER McCALL Book three of the No.“ l (1(ll(?§$ a'-:: a" 11.: 1.5’ fur-21 , ' a: : '1' : A TH" ’ Vi"
Detetttn'e AQOHC‘, i;(3l|(3t3 :geei; tin; 'aff. ~',- tea. . 1",” H” '7“ ’“W/"T'V' } "1' Morality For BeaUtifU' Girls (POWSJOH Botsn‘raha's; M1535; Mamie. Mata Mm Fizz" _: g'eaf m ': ': /'<#""7‘"‘1‘ I -‘ WV”- 88'99) .... Rarttt>tt;'.'.'e preparing} fer 'rtar'rtaoe 1:2 a t‘a-‘L in" 1 ;;.' ; ,‘:°. '1' :' : poserhie 'har‘it; (tei>res;:;t'.-:: garage saw. in. a "f; .25? m‘~ " T. owner, llt\.’(?f3ll§){iilt)() foil! (m, r‘. a a "tit-T ‘3£:’.' ‘ ’; ' ..I:' 2r,- l)ureau<:rat't; house and tr‘,:r‘.g; to farm: l" M5; wan," f"-: ~':" ' out the truth l)(}l‘l')(l a ‘.'.tltl a.“ Iii}. "tune": in. E‘Er,fs..'._:"e:. ES" " sudden appearaaee m the :>t.:;i1_ Ass sang-"He, e'rr -x-"1.z'_ 'i f-z-r coming to the fore I') "Hi; loom :1 Mira l;-f:,’.."fll :;:‘1- 1‘ ‘- Matttsi. Mrha T'taI't<>ts;‘.'.-;2's; Newt. ;;‘.:.'j.‘.-,“‘I,-'. secretary who o'oxess liaise»? art 17' .' war at 2.3:: Ih\.'altial)le \"Jattsor‘. to our ssi'etm'tt {J'U’ltfiz I)" x1 (H : Holmes. ;:' ’1 °.' 4'. ES" It is hot (iliilCLl'l to sea;- tht: l.l’,‘é:‘,‘$’ ' 3‘ "watt z: lill'CCTOl' of The Eng/"3.“ Raine"? a".:l r"),- at, f. '5, ' i: "45:17:" Ta/ertfeo 7r Fifi/ti“. . Al‘ilitff“, lviir‘gheia “ea”. f" f' 5‘): 1.". ' . ’1“: was so keert to produce the f€:l(}‘.!f5i()lt 1, Mt ’1';"'”ii " , 3‘ series of these hooks; th Africa. i‘k.';"«::«.- a'”: "v,- :, .1” :l‘ Alexander McCall Smith ;3; a l i. 1. I \*.'oh(ler'ttt!i‘, ertter'tarrtt'tgg '.'.'rtt.::r .'."to "’,:,~':‘..* . 5:"v: " creates with such (:tarat, am: rr‘o'talf. :, ,: _. :f Home, -,-_ 58" T' . of rhythm that as; you (it-now I" s: iii: " ' p“ " Smith is beyond gifted detxipttxel; smote rfiot. sears-fr; Pa. [)9
98 THE LIST '3? Jun 75" Jo QC-x"