Smoke
by John Berger
On This Page
Description
A pictoral essay by the great art critic, novelist and long-time smoker, John Berger, and Turkish writer and illustrator Selçuk Demirel. "Once upon a time, men, women and (secretly) children smoked." This charming illustrated work reflects on the cultural implications of smoking, and suggests, through a series of brilliantly inventive illustrations, that society's attitude to smoke is both paradoxical and intolerant. It portrays a world in which smokers, banished from public places, must show more encounter one another as outlaws. Meanwhile, car exhausts and factory chimneys continue to pollute the atmosphere. Smoke is a beautifully illustrated prose poem that lingers in the mind. "A cigarette is a breathing space. It makes a parenthesis. The time of a cigarette is a parenthesis, and if it is shared you are both in that parenthesis. It's like a proscenium arch for a dialogue." - John Berger (in interview) show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
gave to Thomas for birthday gift
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Lo mejor leído en 2025 - Leídos por primera vez: Excelentes (R. D.)
21 works; 1 member
Author Information

150+ Works 17,146 Members
John Peter Berger was born in London, England on November 5, 1926. After serving in the British Army from 1944 to 1946, he enrolled in the Chelsea School of Art. He began his career as a painter and exhibited work at a number of London galleries in the late 1940s. He then worked as an art critic for The New Statesman for a decade. He wrote fiction show more and nonfiction including several volumes of art criticism. His novels include A Painter of Our Time, From A to X, and G., which won both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Booker Prize in 1972. His other works include an essay collection entitled Permanent Red, Into Their Labors, and a book and television series entitled Ways of Seeing. In the 1970s, he collaborated with the director Alain Tanner on three films. He wrote or co-wrote La Salamandre, The Middle of the World, and Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000. He died on January 1, 2017 at the age of 90. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Humo
- Original title
- Smoke
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Art & Design
- DDC/MDS
- 394.1 — Society, government, & culture Customs, etiquette & folklore General customs Eating, drinking, using drugs
- LCC
- HV5740 .B474 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Tobacco habit
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 30
- Popularity
- 924,692
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.17)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Spanish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 1
























































