Blind Spot Teju Cole Review

Rarely do cole s images of streets.

Blind spot teju cole review.

It s a synthesis of image and language that conveys knowledge via. Cole s blind spot captures the extraordinary within the. Blind spot sustains this heady high note of oneiric sublimity but cole just as often employs his intelligence and compassion to unearth the grief and terror latent beneath the surface of an image. Cole expertly punctures placidity to expose concealed violence the new york review of books.

Known and strange things. By teju cole photographed by teju cole. Blind spot by teju cole review a writer s photographs on his travels to cities around the world cole took photos initially to aid his memory. The first photograph in teju cole s new book blind spot depicts neighboring suburban driveways in springtime.

A chain link fence and a row of bushes with budding leaves mark property lines. Beyond the hedge masked by fresh foliage is a parked rv. Or rather the highest level of language. His latest book the hybrid lyric photo essay blind spot is possibly the most stunning instance of cole s recursive tendencies.

His pictures and texts show him to be wonderful at. In blind spot cole s observant style is unmistakably his own no matter how richly layered and eclectic his subjects are. As exquisitely wrought as the work of anne carson or chris marker blind spot is a testament to the art of seeing by one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. But of course cole is much more than a craftsman of words and a sage of ideas.

Praise for blind spot common things are made radiant by the quality of cole s looking. Blind spot is assuredly the work of an auteur a singular talent the sydney morning herald an eye opening exploration of the world time and how the two connect nylon reminiscent of julio cortázar s blow up. This aesthetic harmony despite the starkly varying images is not. A tree shadow crosses the driveway in the foreground.

Unlike tourism or tourism s uppercase guide the travel pages blind spot does not pursue the spectacular landscape or portrait that epitomizes a destination. Teju cole has become for me an indispensable writer because the intelligence of his work enables me to gain a more compassionate understanding of the world.