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Unreasonable Behaviour: An Autobiography
by
Don McCullin
"McCullin is required reading if you want to know what real journalism is all about." --
Times Literary Supplement
From the construction of the Berlin Wall through every conflict up to the Falklands War, photographer Don McCullin has left a trail of iconic images.
At the Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, McCullin's photography made him a new kind of hero. The flow of stori ...more
From the construction of the Berlin Wall through every conflict up to the Falklands War, photographer Don McCullin has left a trail of iconic images.
At the Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, McCullin's photography made him a new kind of hero. The flow of stori ...more
Paperback
,
288 pages
Published
June 28th 2002
by Vintage Books
(first published October 18th 1990)
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Community Reviews
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Even if you are not into photography this is a book you should read. It is by the well known and one of the greatest photographer of war, Don McCullin.
As a non photographer it gives you some idea what they go through to get photographs for your magazines and newspapers. As a photographer it not only does that but it helps you to appreciate the photographic difficulties they go through.
What he went through to get his photographs has to be read to be believed. The threats he faced in The Lebanon f ...more
As a non photographer it gives you some idea what they go through to get photographs for your magazines and newspapers. As a photographer it not only does that but it helps you to appreciate the photographic difficulties they go through.
What he went through to get his photographs has to be read to be believed. The threats he faced in The Lebanon f ...more
An incredible book. McCullin guides us through his life and what led him to become a war correspondent (more accurately a war photographer although for comparative purposes I have classified him as a correspondent). From his traumatic childhood (which forged his renowned fortitude), to his difficulty in maintaining peace-time relationships, McCullin provides a brutally honest account.
McCullin's lucid style and gripping anecdotes make it a captivating read. As the archetypal war correspondent/ph ...more
McCullin's lucid style and gripping anecdotes make it a captivating read. As the archetypal war correspondent/ph ...more
戰地記者或是軍隊
等等之類的職業
深刻表現了把人當無機工具使用的舉動
這些職業(很難找到一個詞來形容這種"行為"，就叫他職業吧)
基本上希望執行者貫徹上頭的意志
不要有自己的想法
偏偏人很難沒有感覺
所以一大堆光怪陸離的現象就發生了
例如美國大兵在越戰中本該是解放者(至少嘴巴上是這樣講)
但是面對該被解放的越男人民就變成比越共還要可怕的魔鬼
或是非洲的娃娃兵，半大不小就學著肢解敵人...
同一時間同一場域的記者
則要把自己變成影子，最好除了照片之外沒有任何感覺
這也不可能做到
一切的根源，都指向掌權者的慾望
把下頭通通當作沒血沒肉的機器
苦難的世界於焉誕生
等等之類的職業
深刻表現了把人當無機工具使用的舉動
這些職業(很難找到一個詞來形容這種"行為"，就叫他職業吧)
基本上希望執行者貫徹上頭的意志
不要有自己的想法
偏偏人很難沒有感覺
所以一大堆光怪陸離的現象就發生了
例如美國大兵在越戰中本該是解放者(至少嘴巴上是這樣講)
但是面對該被解放的越男人民就變成比越共還要可怕的魔鬼
或是非洲的娃娃兵，半大不小就學著肢解敵人...
同一時間同一場域的記者
則要把自己變成影子，最好除了照片之外沒有任何感覺
這也不可能做到
一切的根源，都指向掌權者的慾望
把下頭通通當作沒血沒肉的機器
苦難的世界於焉誕生
It's not words, but the images and photos that's beyond what words can describe that haunt me the most. How can any killing be justified in the name of justice or liberation? Who is to decide another human being's destiny? And how can any sacred goals be achieved through the most heinous means? There is no hero in killing. The killed are victims of bodily violation because their lives are taken away involuntarily. The killers are victims of mental torment because they have to suppress their huma
...more
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This is an outstanding book by one of the leading photo journalists of his day. The text is mainly focussed on his professional life, but he does give some insight into his personality and relationships with family and friends. Most of his work was in areas of conflict, where he witnessed harrowing scenes on what seemed an almost regular basis. He comes across as a very difficult, driven man, but one who has made his own unique contribution to news coverage and to upholding basic humanitarian va
...more
This was an excellent read, full of stories from one of the greatest war photographers.
This is an autobiography which, much more than most, avoids self-righteous re-writing of history and provides an insight into Mc Cullin’s photography, both the large part of his oeuvre (the dark stuff dealing with poverty, death and hardship) and the demons that drove him. A great and, strangely, uplifting read with a hard slap in the face at the end. One of my favourite photographers but you should also see some of the coffee table photo collections as they have (a sliver of) samples from Mc Cu
...more
Couple this after viewing McCullins images, and you get not only a window into his troubled soul and the motivation behind his repeated casting of himself into the lions den, but also the simply fascinating and hair-raising stories of those experiences in nearly every war from Vietnam to the Falklands. Not the most adept writer, but that's ok, the images and stories make up for it. Equal parts stunning and moving.
I dislike reading autobiography- but for this I make an exception.
This book is written in a straightforward no nonsense style, charting the chaos of Don's career.
If there is one autobiography you should read then this is it. The subject matter may not be for the fait hearted but it is worth the effort to read.
A very matter of fact read, commenting on some of the most horrendous wars this century.
This book is written in a straightforward no nonsense style, charting the chaos of Don's career.
If there is one autobiography you should read then this is it. The subject matter may not be for the fait hearted but it is worth the effort to read.
A very matter of fact read, commenting on some of the most horrendous wars this century.
I came across a second hand copy in Hay on Wye recently after a recent BBC documentary. I'd been reminded that I bought a copy for a good friend when it was first published. This is a magnificent autobiography including many of McCullin's best known photographs. The closing chapter is as heart wrenching as his experiences of political conflict and violence across the globe.
A very interesting account of one mans working life, the prose is a tad episodic and at times he is a little too brief in describing certain situations he found himself in, however it is never anything but interesting and some of his fantastic war photos are included here. Compared to other biographies it is no way self aggrandising. An excellent if slightly depressing read.
'A character' one could certainly say. From a breed of photojournalists that seem rare if not endangered. Great stories from his days at the Sunday Times Beyond the actual stories of derring do with the camera he does make a real effort to work out why felt driven to put himself in situations that saw many of his colleagues pay for with their lives.
One of the best testimony of human insanity, cruelty and 'unreasonable behaviour'. This book goes through a lot of recent conflicts, highlighting the human consequences of those. It's also a great thought on life & death.
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Don McCullin grew up in north London and was evacuated in 1940 to Somerset. He failed the eleven-plus examination and went to Tollington Park Secondary Modern School. He won a trade art scholarship to the Hammersmith School of Arts and Crafts and Buildings. His father, who was an invalid, died, aged forty and McCullin was forced to find work to earn money for the family. He became a pantry boy on
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