Ernst Haas: Letters & Stories

An intimate account of the 20th century's most inventive color photographer, with letters, poems and photographs.

Writer Inge Bondi sheds fresh light on the life of her close friend and colleague, the Austrian American photographer Ernst Haas (1921–86), whom she first met in New York’s Magnum offices in 1951. Bondi shares unique memories of this brilliant and very private man alongside reproductions of his letters, poems, photographs and ephemera, revealing for the first time details of his harrowing war years and complex personal life. The book’s 13 chapters cover Haas’ "Homecoming Prisoners of War" story (1947), which prompted Robert Capa to invite him to join Magnum Photos; pioneering color reportage for Life and Vogue, featuring his blurred portraits of bull fighting and saturated images of New York; and his work on film sets, including The Bible, which led to the publication of Haas’ groundbreaking and acclaimed 1971 photobook The Creation.