This 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.
#380020 in eBooks 2003-10-01 2003-09-10File Name: B003XU61CA
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Every parent of a Nutcracker dancer should read this bookBy Terrence WalshAsk many Americans if they ever go to the ballet. "No. Oh no. Ballet? Never."Ask those same Americans when they last saw The Nutcracker. "Last December. We go every year. Love it."And that is why Ms. Fishers examination of the Nutcracker phenomenon is so interesting. Combining interviews and historical research. she gives us a wonderful account of the diaspora of Russian ballet alumni. The diaspora started with the rise of Communist Russia and the turmoil of World War I. then accelerated from the the pressure of World War II in Europe. Its not just coincidence that the first U.S. performance was in 1934 by the San Francisco Ballet (Americas first professional ballet company) and then in 1944 by the New York City Ballet. By the late 1950s. small ballet companies and schools. such as Virginia Ballet Company and School in Fairfax. VA. were starting to offer the Nutcracker as an annual holiday treat. Throw in a little television. a few famous ballet stars. and you find Nutcracker is a perennial holiday phenomenon.This is a readable book even while it is well-researched non-fiction. I recommend it to every parent of a Nutcracker dancer. and to all the Nutcracker alumni who still perk up when they hear the first notes of the overture.I hope this review is helpful.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Engaging. a bit unfocusedBy klavierspielJennifer Fishers 2004 dance history takes on a pretty daunting task: to explain the Nutcracker ballets current status in North America as not only an entrenched Christmas tradition. but also everyones favorite classical ballet. To accomplish this Fisher did her own field research. somewhat anthropological in nature. spending time with both a major professional company. the National Ballet of Canada. and a much smaller company. the Loudon Ballet in Leesburg. Virginia. (Since Fishers work covers both the United States and Canada. the title of the book is mildly misleading.) She weaves excerpts from interviews and anecdotes from her time with these companies through and around a historical narrative of the original conception and production of Tchaikovskys and Ivanovs ballet in St. Petersburg in 1892 (like many works that have become beloved classics. it opened to a mixed reception). followed by a chronicle of its gradual importation and proliferation across the Atlantic. George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. as one might suspect. play an important role in this latter part of her tale.Along the way the author makes frequently telling points about the neat dovetailing of the ballets scenario with American traditions and values. and how its appeal to children both as performers and audiences has bolstered its popularity. However. there are also digressions into such topics as the sociological import of the various national dances in the second act and how they have been staged (including in Walt Disneys film Fantasia). diverting but not particularly relevant to the central topic. This impression of looseness is also underscored by the rather casual way in which excerpts from Fishers own research with the ballet companies are dropped into the narrative. Ultimately. Nutcracker Nation reads like a doctoral dissertation interleaved with popular history. As such it is consistently interesting. but a little disheveled in feel.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy l. fusilloThanks!
