UNREASONABLE BEHAVIOUR (Book Review)

[Bill Mitchell]

Unreasonable Behaviour (ISBN 0-679-40646-8) is the autobiography of Don McCullin published by Alfred Knopf in 1992. Following a Dickensonian childhood, Englishman photographer McCullin roamed the world from one armed conflict to the next for The Sunday Times, recognized as one of the greatest living war photographers of all time. The story of his life, (superbly ghost written by Lewis Chester), reads like a Fredrick Forsyth novel. Only 280 pages long, it should have been twice that! My only complaint is that there is such little followup on many of the interesting men (and women) with whom he interacted. In one chapter he flies into one of the killing field African Republics to meet with his younger brother, who is an officer in the French Foreign Legion. The meeting is less than successful, and one can feel McCullin's pain in being unable to connect emotionally with the younger man. No later mention is made of him, and I wonder if he survives (he must be well over 60 if he's alive). His greatest war images are almost unique in that they are of the civilians, not of the soldiers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

 

[Les McLean]

McCullin is still very much alive, practising photography and is 70 years old, see the interview in the current Black and White Photography UK version.