Judging a book by its cover

There say that you should not judge a book by its cover. True. But what if the cover and a book are so perfectly put together with its content? what if you put together Raymond Carver and his brutal depiction of the common people’s lives, and Todd Hido who describes intimate stories happening in our houses by just staying few meters outside, at night?

I loved Carter’s Cathedral and I had jealously kept it in my bookshelf, with all  books I like the most. Then, when I bought ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’ I was equally amazed by the book and its cover!! Published in 2009 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Vintage Contemporaries, the cover is in fact one of my favorite Hido’s photos!

I had had never associated these two artists (and their works) together before. With this little amazing object in my hands I realized they go explored the same weaknesses and hopes of life, its regrets and resentments. They were both capable of picturing the daily struggle of living, the inexorable passing of time, the lyrics of abandoned places. 

This is when I found out that there is a lot of Hido’s work in Carter’s novels. You read Carter and you see Hido’s intimate nudes and broken hoses, televisions always on, unmade beds, empty rooms and the perpetual feeling of cold and damp. Beside houses at night (and his famous “House Hunting” monograph), there are his interiors of motels and foreclosed homes as well as his landscapes full of loneliness, melancholy and beauty.

It is a perfect fit, as Hido himself writes in his book “On Landscapes, Interiors and The Nude” (which is by the way an interesting and inspiring book as well as all the Aperture photography workshop series):

“When I read his (Carver) writing, I see pictures and think of all these ideas for photographs.  A few year ago, his publisher was  reeditioning the books and asked me me if I would considering allowing them to use my picture for the covers. I had to pretend I was mildly interested, so I didn’t end up giving them all the photos for free. But I knew it was a perfect fit. This cover is my favorite of all of them. My picture of an apartment building with a light on upstairs and tire tracks in the snow from a car pulling out of the driveway is exactly the kind of thing we talk about when we talk about love. The picture contains the ingredients of a story: it places the retreating tracks in relationship with the window and invites the viewer to pay attention and think about what might have just happened”.

This perfect fit, however, is not a perfect union. You somewhat have to give up something, either the picture or the story. Are you going to open and read the book, or do you prefer to close it and enjoy Hido’s picture?

• Categories: Art
• Tags: Antonio Fantasia, best book, carver, hido, night photo