John Berger's many books include Ways of Seeing, the fiction trilogy Into Their Labours, the Booker Prize-winning novel G., and To the Wedding.
"Warmly engaging, philosophical, unpredictable, and, at times,
almost unbearably moving... Berger's signature cultural fluency,
compassion, and profound sense of beauty and justice coalesce
exquisitely in this sketchbook." -Booklist "With his clear, sinuous
prose, he gives an account of how the contours of reality 'harass'
the act of drawing...the book coheres because Berger's is a humane
and uniquely confiding voice, and this voice is coextensive with
his skill as a draftsman. The two attributes act in concert with
Spinoza's enigmatic philosophical propositions. All three
constitute a singular act of witness."--The New York Times Book
Review "Bento's Sketchbook is delightful and yet reaches a depth of
thought somewhat surprising in a book of its size--with pictures,
nonetheless. If you are an artist, read this. If you have ever
wondered what it's like to see through the eyes of an artist or
what it's like to think like an artist, read this. If you want an
escape, if you want to learn, if you want to be entertained, read
this. But most of all, if you want to be inspired--read this."
-Everyday eBook "Someone familiar with John Berger as a writer,
might have guessed the Spinozian bent of his humanity. Someone
familiar with John Berger the art critic certainly knows of his
visual sensibility. What a feast it is, then, to discover these two
strands of Berger's astonishing body of work united in this
treasure of a book."
--Antonio Damasio, author of Self Comes to Mind "A deceptively
brief volume offers profound meditations on art, the creative
process and so much more... Whether he's extending an analogy that
compares making a drawing to riding a motorbike or discusses
storytelling in a manner that could apply just as well to drawing,
he makes such interaction and interconnection seem central to the
human condition. Berger's readers will see with fresh eyes."
--Kirkus, starred review "Bento's Sketchbook is a literary work
that epitomizes the wonderful world of imagination and play, and a
reminder of how we can truly see--if only we can slow down...Highly
recommended." -New York Journal of Books "Berger steers away from
direct answers to the mystery of the artistic impulse or the many
other questions he poses in this short book. But the value of this
impressionistic work lies less in those answers than it does in
exposing us to new ways of encountering the world." -Shelf
Awareness "An uplifting rumination." -New York Times Style
Magazine
"Bento's Sketchbook is an example of categories more than just
transcended: trampled, in fact... his own jottings, recollections,
and encounters, though occasionally knotty, display a freshness
sharpened by passages of haiku-like surprise... Berger can still
lift us to indignation and enchantment." -The Boston Globe
"If any single quality most characterizes Berger, it is presence.
John Berger seems to live every moment, his earthy engagement with
the world reflected in his sketching technique. He draws with black
ink, wash and spit, using his finger rather than a brush...Bento's
Sketchbook is not a book to peruse while waiting for a document to
download on your computer. It should be read like poetry." -The
Washington Independent Review of Books "His prose, with its easy
and fluid lyricism, begs to be read, poured over, and soaked in. He
shrugs off the authority he could quite easily claim (a stature
writers of lesser knowledge are often unable to resist coveting)
and writes with humble compassion. His thoughts glide so easily
from one topic to the next, his tone of urgency never bordering on
lecture, that it seems only natural to wonder: why aren't more
writers trying to write like this?... this is decidedly Berger --
eyes always open, political fire forever raging. His words, so
grounded in history and humanitarianism, begin to feel timeless, as
if their relevance were set in stone." -Idiom Magazine "Berger
offers unflinching insights into the predicaments of our time and
how we might face them...Unlike many other political thinkers,
Berger has remained true in his old age to the ideals of his youth.
What has sustained his optimism, his idealism, his ability to
persevere? Perhaps it is just such an outlook. It does not promise
victory, but it is resistant to defeat. It is skeptical, but
remains steadfast. It is a philosophy of hope, tempered by
experience, and without illusion." -The Forward
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