Novel Photographers – The Bibliography
September 22, 2008
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: October 17, 2008]
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]
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]
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
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
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
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)