Book review — Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles (Niall GILMARTIN and Brendan Ciarán BROWNE)

Book review — Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles (Niall GILMARTIN and Brendan Ciarán BROWNE) by Allan LEONARD 17 February 2023  Among the imagery associated with the Troubles, occasionally you see one of a van or car overladen with house furniture and hastily assembled parcels of clothing and personal possessions. These people were … Continue reading Book review — Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles (Niall GILMARTIN and Brendan Ciarán BROWNE)

Book review — Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen)

Book review: Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen) by Allan LEONARD 9 September 2021 While there is a historic tradition of journalism that strives towards a common, public good (however defined), this has occurred in a paradigm of a professionalisation of journalism and a business model where editors responded to a … Continue reading Book review — Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen)

Book review — This is Magritte

A concise, well written, and thoughtfully illustrated book about a master of surrealism. Learnt interesting insights about Rene Magritte. One can appreciate how aspects of his life affected his artistic work, including his family experiences, coming of age, and his (sometimes fraught) relationships with friends and peers. The book also provides good explanations of the … Continue reading Book review — This is Magritte

Book review — World Press Photo 2021

Book review — World Press Photo 2021 by Allan LEONARD 26 June 2021 World Press Photo 2021 is a book compilation of finalists of its annual competition. Entries are submitted by professional visual journalists. There were nine juries across the photo and digital storytelling contests. For the 2021 contest, general jury chair, Nayantara Gurury Kakshapati, … Continue reading Book review — World Press Photo 2021

Book review — Irish Summers (Harry Gruyaert)

Book review: Irish Summers (Harry GRUYAERT) by Allan LEONARD 21 March 2021 Harry Gruyaert’s work is recognisable by its saturated colours of thoughtfully chosen hues. The interplay with light is also crucial. There are images in Irish Summers that exemplify such decisive moments, when colour and light come together to satisfy Gruyaert’s quest for sensual … Continue reading Book review — Irish Summers (Harry Gruyaert)

book cover old ireland in colour

Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley)

Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley) by Allan LEONARD 14 March 2021 Old Ireland in Colour is an ongoing project of colourising black and white images by photographers in Ireland in the late 19th to early 20th century. The catalyst was John Breslin working on colourising some photos of … Continue reading Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley)

Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott)

Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott) by Allan LEONARD 21 February 2021 We read books of fiction and non-fiction, and may acquire a respect for how difficult it is to create such works ourselves. We are taught how to read the written word, and by practising reading, tend to appreciate its transformative … Continue reading Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott)

Book review — A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen)

Book review: A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen) by Allan LEONARD 29 December 2020 Occasionally I am approached for an image to be used in a book publication. Recently, this was for one that I made of a mural celebrating the television series, Derry Girls. Disclosure: I granted permission, with payment, for the … Continue reading Book review — A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen)

Book review — How I Make Photographs (Joel Meyerowitz)

Book review — How I Make Photographs ( Joel Meyerowitz) by Allan LEONARD 18 October 2020 Joel Meyerowitz is a renowned street photographer, long before the term became a familiar recognised genre (or subgenre of documentary photography). Once working as an art director, after an encounter with photographer Robert Frank, he quit his job and … Continue reading Book review — How I Make Photographs (Joel Meyerowitz)

Book review — Great Thinkers (The School of Life)

Great Thinkers is a compilation of 60 short essays -- about 1,500 to 3,000 words each -- published by The School of Life, which dedicates itself to “developing emotional intelligence through the help of culture”. It describes the book as a volume of some of the most important ideas of Eastern and Western culture, drawn … Continue reading Book review — Great Thinkers (The School of Life)

Book review — Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home

Book review: Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home by Allan LEONARD 15 August 2019 Anna Lo writes with a crisp and concise manner, demonstrating her fine skills in English that she makes reference to in her memoir. The Place I Call Home is a chronological story, from her childhood to current retirement. It gives … Continue reading Book review — Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home

Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral)

Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral) by Allan LEONARD 26 May 2019 Released in hardcover in August 2018 and now available in paperback, The Colour of Time, by historian Dan Jones and artist Marina Amaral, is a collection of 200 colourised photographs taken between 1850 and 1960. With accompanying … Continue reading Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral)