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"We've all seen writers on the dust jackets of their books. These portraits, it seemed to me, generally failed to convey either character or personality. Writers deserve better. I wanted to make compelling pictures that would stick in the mind's eye."--Laura Wilson
Inspired by the classic photo essays that once appeared in Life magazine, renowned photographer Laura Wilson presents dynamic portraits of thirty-eight internationally acclaimed writers. Through her photos and accompanying texts, she gives us vivid, revealing glimpses into the everyday lives of such luminaries as Rachel Cusk, Edwidge Danticat, David McCullough, Haruki Murakami, and the late Carlos Fuentes and Seamus Heaney, among others. Margaret Atwood works in her garden. Tim O'Brien performs magic tricks for his family. And Louise Erdrich, who contributes an introduction, speaks with customers in her Minneapolis bookstore. At once inviting and poignant, the book reflects on writing and photography's shared concerns with invention, transformation, memory, and preservation. With 220 duotone images, The Writers: Portraits will appeal to fans of literature and photography alike.
Published in association with the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin
Exhibition Schedule:
Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin
August 26, 2022-January 1, 2023
Laura Wilson
Laura is a Principal Social Researcher and the Data Collection lead for the UK Government Data Quality Hub (DQHub). Although based at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the remit of her role extends to improving the quality of all data across government.
Laura is an expert qualitative researcher with over a decade's industry experience in designing and developing official government surveys. Prior to working in DQHub, Laura led a Research and Design Team in ONS which was responsible for the transformation of its Social Surveys. There she pioneered and embedded a respondent centred approach to survey development which transformed the respondent user experience.
Laura has a passion for ensuring data are collected accurately at source, and for bringing respondent needs to forefront of survey design.
More by Laura Wilson
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