A Fortunate Man: The Story of a Country Doctor (Vintage International) - Softcover

Berger, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 067973726X ISBN 13: 9780679737261

Publisher: Random House USA Inc, 1997

Synopsis

In this quietly revolutionary work of social observation and medical philosophy, Booker Prize-winning writer John Berger and the photographer Jean Mohr train their gaze on an English country doctor and find a universal man--one who has taken it upon himself to recognize his patient's humanity when illness and the fear of death have made them unrecognizable to themselves. In the impoverished rural community in which he works, John Sassall tend the maimed, the dying, and the lonely. He is not only the dispenser of cures but the repository of memories. And as Berger and Mohr follow Sassall about his rounds, they produce a book whose careful detail broadens into a meditation on the value we assign a human life. First published thirty years ago, A Fortunate Man remains moving and deeply relevant--no other book has offered such a close and passionate investigation of the roles doctors play in their society.

"In contemporary letters John Berger seems to me peerless; not since Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world with responsiveness to the imperatives of conscience."--Susan Sontag

About this title

Review:

"A masterpiece. When A Fortunate Man was published in 1967 it marked the most significant step forward in the collaboration of a writer and photographer since Let us Now Praise Famous Men by Walker Evans and James Agee. Incredibly, it still does" (GEOFF DYER)

"A genuine tour de force . . .The intimate portrait of one man and his microscopic world reveals the faults and strains of a whole society" (OBSERVER)

"I only wish I could do justice in a few words to the richness that makes this book so compelling" (GUARDIAN)

"John Berger seems to me peerless; not since Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world with responsiveness to the imperatives of conscience" (SUSAN SONTAG)

"This disturbingly beautiful book will continue to haunt you long after you have set it aside" (RICHARD HOLLOWAY)

"It's one of my favourite books in the world, an ongoing inspiration as to how books should be written (and photography used)" (ALAIN de BOTTON)

"A book about caring that will make you care, and a book about deep healing that may heal your soul. It is also, almost 50 years on, uncannily timely" (SIMON GARFIELD)

"This extraordinary book unravels the tangled branches of the everyday to reveal the brightness within. It inspires me to think more slowly, more deeply, to wear acquired knowledge lightly, to open my senses more fully to the wonders in the plain and close-at-hand" (JAMES MEEK)

"A masterpiece of witness; a three-way meditation on humanity, society and the value of healing" (GAVIN FRANCIS)

"A touching narrative with imagery that captures the beauty of a GP's relationship with his patients and the community he serves" (British Medical Journal)

Book Description:

Berger's exploration of what it means to heal republished nearly fifty years on

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 067973726X
• ISBN 13: 9780679737261
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176