Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by…

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography (original 1980; edition 1982)

by Roland Barthes, Richard Howard (Translator)

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2,541	19	5,798	(4.02)	13
A graceful, contemplative volume, Camera Lucida was first published in 1979. Commenting on artists such as Avedon, Clifford, Mapplethorpe, and Nadar, Roland Barthes presents photography as being outside the codes of language or culture, acting on the body as much as on the mind, and rendering death and loss more acutely than any other medium. This groundbreaking approach established Camera Lucida as one of the most important books of theory on the subject, along with Susan Sontags On Photography.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	captalbatross
Title:	Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography
Authors:	Roland Barthes
Other authors:	Richard Howard (Translator)
Info:	Hill and Wang (1982), Paperback, 119 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by Roland Barthes (1980)

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Recently added by	LTSandboxPelican, studiocp, RaffaeleSeveri, Anthony_Nunez, RullsenbergLisa, DanielCosta, TheGreenDoor, Brianmckeithan, Dolinette
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20
On Photography by Susan Sontag (chrisharpe)
20
Ways of Seeing by John Berger (chrisharpe)
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Le mystère de la chambre claire : Photographie et inconscient by Serge Tisseron (greuh)
greuh: Le livre de Barthes est évoqué à de nombreuses reprises dans le livre de Tisseron, qui critique la démarche de Barthes. Une lecture du livre de Barthes devrait donc enrichir, je pense, le lecteur du livre de Tisseron. Même si je ne l'ai pas fait...
00
Nox by Anne Carson (emydid)
emydid: Both are explorations of loss, death, and essence by way of triangulation through a third object (a Catullus poem in the case of Carson; photographs in the case of Barthes).
00
Ghost Image by Hervé Guibert (Anonymous user)
Anonymous user: Guibert knew Barthes and his book was written as a response to Barthes’ book.

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▾Member reviews

English (17) Catalan (1) All languages (18)

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Recommended by a prof when I described a series of family photos I'm working with.

The writing is, at first, a bit convoluted and challenging. However, I found that with patience I was able to hear Barthes in the context of my own experience with photography and the Photograph.

I came away with several pages of scribbled quotes in my journal. These for consideration as I work with two different image/photo-based projects: my Feminist Family Tree and The Body Catalog. (

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rebwaring | Aug 14, 2023 |

I appreciate the philosophy here, even though there were points where I disconnected. Probably something I'll buy for my forever bookshelf if I ever have the space. (

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Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |

this is a great work of essay and introspection but it doesn't really interest me as theory. the argument is too scattered, overlapping and backtracking, to form a coherent (to me) way of thinking about Looking at photos. also i find it interesting/frustrating that barthes is basically incapable of thinking beyond photographs of people (portraits or otherwise). but parts of this are deeply moving and with stunning turns of phrase, so, i liked it, just not for the reasons i assumed i might. (

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i. | Jan 6, 2023 |

A very personal analysis of the photographic medium informed by the recent death of Barthes' mother. (

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beaujoe | Aug 6, 2021 |

Read an excerpt from this book in a photography class in undergrad; re-read the section on "punctum" March 2021.

JennyArch | Mar 31, 2021 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Roland Barthes	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Dean, Suzanne	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Freiberga, Elga	Editor	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Howard, Richard	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Jāne, Arta	Editor	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Lapinska, Ieva	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Petříček, Miroslav	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Bibliothek Suhrkamp (1448)

Filozofia do vrecka (Archa) (14)

Gli struzzi [Einaudi] (230)

Tulkojumu sērija

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

La chambre claire: Note sur la photographie

Original title

La chambre claire: Note sur la photographie

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Original publication date

1980

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Epigraph

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En hommage à L'imaginaire de Sartre.

Dedication

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Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Un jour, il y a bien longtemps, je tombai sur une photographie du dernier frère de Napoléon, Jérôme (1852).

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French

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▾Book descriptions

A graceful, contemplative volume, Camera Lucida was first published in 1979. Commenting on artists such as Avedon, Clifford, Mapplethorpe, and Nadar, Roland Barthes presents photography as being outside the codes of language or culture, acting on the body as much as on the mind, and rendering death and loss more acutely than any other medium. This groundbreaking approach established Camera Lucida as one of the most important books of theory on the subject, along with Susan Sontags On Photography.

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