Novel Photographers – The Bibliography

This page began as a response to a reader of Vertigo who asked about novels in which photographers appear as important characters.  I posted a plea for suggestions and did a bit more research myself.  Here are the results to date.  Thanks to all who responded with nominations.

I have no doubt that there are many more such titles in existence, so please feel free to make additional nominations.

A word of caution.  To be honest, I have neither seen nor read most of these books.  They are here largely because of the recommendations of various thoughtful readers who have nominated titles for this list.  [Last updated: March 29, 2010]

Adolfo Bioy Casares, La Aventura de un Fotografo en la Plata.  Buenos Aires: Emecé Editores, 1985 (translated as The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata in 1989)

Chris Bohjalian, Double Bind.  NY:  Shaye Areheart, 2007.

Italo Calvino,  Gli Amori Difficili.  Milan: Mondadori, 1993 (contains the story translated as The Adventure of a Photographer in Difficult Loves in 1983) [the story can be read online here].

Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red.  NY: Vintage, 1999.

Julio Cortázar, Las babas del diablo, in Las Aramas Secretas.  1959 (translated in 1967 as Blowup, in Blowup and Other Stories) [the source for Antonioni's film Blowup].

Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves.  NY: Pantheon, 2000.

Don Delillo, Mao III.  NY: Viking, 1991.

Delia Falconer, The Service of Clouds.  Sydney: Picador, 1997.

Dick Francis, Reflex.  London: Michael Joseph, 1980.

David Fulmer, Chasing the Devil’s Tail: A Mystery of Storyville, New Orleans. Scottsdale: Poisoned Pen Press, 2001 [Famous Storyville photographer E.J. Bellocq is a character in this and possibly other volumes in Fulmer's mystery series].

James Hall, Body Language.  NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1998 [first in an apparent series of mysteries featuring a Miami police photographer].

Sarah Hall, How To Paint a Dead Man.  London: Faber & Faber, 2009..  A photographer is one of several artists involved in this story loosely based on the painter Giorgio Morandi.

Elizabeth Hand, Generation Loss.  Northampton: Small Beer Press, 2007.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1851.

Julie Hecht, Do the Windows Open? NY: Random House, 1997.

Julie Hecht, The Unprofessionals.  NY: Random House, 2003.

Julie Hecht, Happy Trails to You: Stories.  NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Peter Henisch’s Die kleine Figur meines Vaters. Roman mit Abbildungen. Ein Gespräch. Frankfurt: Fisher Verlag, 1975 (translated in 1990 as Negatives of My Father).

David Hunt, The Magician’s Tale.  NY: Putnam, 1997 [the first in a series of mysteries featuring a San Francisco photographer who is color-blind].

Keith Kachtick, Hungry Ghost. NY: Harper Collins, 2003.

Billie Letts, Where the Heart Is. NY: Warner, 1995.

Ronit Matalon, Bliss. NY: Henry Holt, 2003.

Colum McCann, Songdogs.  London: Phoenix House, 1995.

Andrew Miller, The Optimists.  NY: Mariner Books, 2006.

David Morrell, Double Image.  NY: Warner Books, 1998 [thriller].

Péter Nádas, A Lovely Tale of Photography. Prague: Twisted Spoon, 1999.

Guadalupe Nettel, Ptósis, in Pétalos, y otros Historias Incómodas. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2008 [the story can be read online here].

Cees Nooteboom, Mokusei.  Amsterdam: De Arbeiderspers, 1982.

Jack O’Connell.  The Skin Palace.  2001.

Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter.  Toronto: Anansi, 1976.

Cynthia Ozick, Shots, in Levitation: Five Fictions.  NY: Knopf, 1982 [also in Collected Stories].

Arturo Perez-Reverte, El Pinto de Batalles. Madrid: Alfaguara, 2006 (translated in 2007 as The Painter of Battles).

Cristina Peri Rossi, El Amor es una droga dura. Barcelona: Seix Barral, 1999.

Anthony Powell.  Dance to the Music of Time.  London: Heinemann, 1951-1975 (12 vols).

Anthony Powell, The Fisher King.  London: Heinemann, 1986.

Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day.  NY: Penguin, 2006.

Rachel Seiffert, The Dark Room.  London: Heinemann, 2001.

Robert Anthony Siegel, All Will Be Revealed.  San Francisco: MacAdam/Cage, 2007.

Dominic Smith, The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. NY: Atria, 2006.

Tatjana Soli, The Lotus Eaters.  NY: St. Martins, 2010.  A female combat photographer in Viet Nam.

Dimitri Verhulst, Problemski Hotel.  Amsterdam: Contact, 2003 (translated as Problemski Hotel in 2005).

William Vollman, You Bright and Risen Angels.  NY: Atheneum, 1987.

Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County.  NY: Warner, 1992.

Marianne Wiggins  The Shadow Catcher. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2007 (about Edward Curtis).

Marcus Wynne, Warrior in the Shadows.  NY: Forge, 2002 (fair warning: CIA agent turns forensic photographer).