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The woman behind a legendary war photographer
By Yao Minji and Shi Xiaoguang |
August 26, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ROBERT Capa, born Endre Friedmann, is one of the most famous combat photojournalists. He covered five wars and died in the First Indochina War at the age of 41. He was famous for saying: "If your picture isn't good enough, you're not close enough."
Much has been written about the brave Hungarian photographer, but much less about his companion in life and career, Gerda Taro, born in a Polish Jewish family in Germany as Gerta Pohorylle.
Spanish history professor, columnist and writer Susana Fortes took a different angle and picked two years in Capa's life, from his encounter with Taro to her death, to give a fictional account of the couple's love affair.
"Taro definitely changed Endre's entire life. She basically made him into Robert Capa," Fortes told Shanghai Daily.
"First of all, she was equally important in creating the figure called Friedmann. They fabricated the Capa name and the character together to stand out in the fiercely competitive photography circle at the time. She was acting like Capa's agent and she also published her own photos under the name Robert Capa."
The author visited Shanghai at the invitation of Cervantes Library and Shanghai 99 Readers Culture Co Ltd to introduce her book "Waiting for Capa." She talked to Shanghai Daily about the couple and her novel.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: It all started with a photo. Capa is well-known all around the world while Taro was almost an unknown for a very long time.
In 2008, a case of photos by Capa were discovered in Mexico and I went to see the exhibition. I was drawn to this one particular photo - it was of a small woman, not too pretty, dressed in a long shirt on a bed. It was not artistically splendid, but the sense of vivid life in this woman was captured so well that you could feel the love of the photo-taker toward the woman.
That was my first step in this book, the first second I felt the impulse to learn more about this woman and to write a novel.
Q: Out of Capa's prolific career, why did you choose these particular two years to write about?
A: These two years, very early in his career, are very particular and influential to his life.
The novel starts with the two meeting each other in Paris in 1935 and ends as Taro is killed in the Spanish Civil War. Capa is no longer the same man after these two years.
If Capa was a legend, these two years showed how the legend started.
Q: You named the book "Waiting for Capa." Who is waiting and who is Capa?
A: Capa stands for both of them, since the name was created by Taro and they both published photos under this name, although Endre was much better known for it.
Taro, unlike many women in her time, had her own ambitions as a professional photographer. The two were lovers, working partners and competitors, which all made their relationship more combustible, unique and full of intrigue.
And the word "waiting" in the title is connected to the ending of the book, in which Taro is severely injured. While dying, she foresees the future life of Capa and believes that they will reunite one day.
Q: There have been many biographies about Capa, why did you choose to write a novel?
A: I'm a novelist, so I never thought about writing just another biography. There have been a lot of very good biographies about him and these books have helped me greatly while I researched my novel. I tried to read every piece of information I could get hold of to help me imagine the daily life, conversations and relations of my characters.
Q: You have a very high opinion of Taro in this novel. How do you think of her in her times?
A: Taro was definitely way ahead of her time, when women's duties were rather restricted to the domestic sphere.
She was the first female battle photojournalist and the first woman reporter to lose her life on the battlefield.
She could fit better in contemporary society. She was smart, independent, eager to learn and she had her own career goals. She broke the restrictions of the traditional definition of women.
Her unique characteristic also led to the unique love affair between Taro and Capa. They encountered more obstacles, conflicts and frustrations than other couples at the time.
The more you learn about Taro, the more you want to dig into her life and stories.
Q: You said Taro changed Friedmann's life and made him into the legendary Capa. On the other hand, did he influence Taro on the same level?
A: It was Endre who brought Taro into the realm of photography.
She knew nothing about photography before her encounter with Endre, who taught her how to choose angles, operate cameras, find her own perspectives and visions.
He created the photographer Taro and brought her to the battlefield, where she eventually lost her life.
If she had not met Endre, she would have enjoyed an ordinary female life, making jams in the kitchen rather than taking photos in the war. It would have been safer, but boring.
Much has been written about the brave Hungarian photographer, but much less about his companion in life and career, Gerda Taro, born in a Polish Jewish family in Germany as Gerta Pohorylle.
Spanish history professor, columnist and writer Susana Fortes took a different angle and picked two years in Capa's life, from his encounter with Taro to her death, to give a fictional account of the couple's love affair.
"Taro definitely changed Endre's entire life. She basically made him into Robert Capa," Fortes told Shanghai Daily.
"First of all, she was equally important in creating the figure called Friedmann. They fabricated the Capa name and the character together to stand out in the fiercely competitive photography circle at the time. She was acting like Capa's agent and she also published her own photos under the name Robert Capa."
The author visited Shanghai at the invitation of Cervantes Library and Shanghai 99 Readers Culture Co Ltd to introduce her book "Waiting for Capa." She talked to Shanghai Daily about the couple and her novel.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: It all started with a photo. Capa is well-known all around the world while Taro was almost an unknown for a very long time.
In 2008, a case of photos by Capa were discovered in Mexico and I went to see the exhibition. I was drawn to this one particular photo - it was of a small woman, not too pretty, dressed in a long shirt on a bed. It was not artistically splendid, but the sense of vivid life in this woman was captured so well that you could feel the love of the photo-taker toward the woman.
That was my first step in this book, the first second I felt the impulse to learn more about this woman and to write a novel.
Q: Out of Capa's prolific career, why did you choose these particular two years to write about?
A: These two years, very early in his career, are very particular and influential to his life.
The novel starts with the two meeting each other in Paris in 1935 and ends as Taro is killed in the Spanish Civil War. Capa is no longer the same man after these two years.
If Capa was a legend, these two years showed how the legend started.
Q: You named the book "Waiting for Capa." Who is waiting and who is Capa?
A: Capa stands for both of them, since the name was created by Taro and they both published photos under this name, although Endre was much better known for it.
Taro, unlike many women in her time, had her own ambitions as a professional photographer. The two were lovers, working partners and competitors, which all made their relationship more combustible, unique and full of intrigue.
And the word "waiting" in the title is connected to the ending of the book, in which Taro is severely injured. While dying, she foresees the future life of Capa and believes that they will reunite one day.
Q: There have been many biographies about Capa, why did you choose to write a novel?
A: I'm a novelist, so I never thought about writing just another biography. There have been a lot of very good biographies about him and these books have helped me greatly while I researched my novel. I tried to read every piece of information I could get hold of to help me imagine the daily life, conversations and relations of my characters.
Q: You have a very high opinion of Taro in this novel. How do you think of her in her times?
A: Taro was definitely way ahead of her time, when women's duties were rather restricted to the domestic sphere.
She was the first female battle photojournalist and the first woman reporter to lose her life on the battlefield.
She could fit better in contemporary society. She was smart, independent, eager to learn and she had her own career goals. She broke the restrictions of the traditional definition of women.
Her unique characteristic also led to the unique love affair between Taro and Capa. They encountered more obstacles, conflicts and frustrations than other couples at the time.
The more you learn about Taro, the more you want to dig into her life and stories.
Q: You said Taro changed Friedmann's life and made him into the legendary Capa. On the other hand, did he influence Taro on the same level?
A: It was Endre who brought Taro into the realm of photography.
She knew nothing about photography before her encounter with Endre, who taught her how to choose angles, operate cameras, find her own perspectives and visions.
He created the photographer Taro and brought her to the battlefield, where she eventually lost her life.
If she had not met Endre, she would have enjoyed an ordinary female life, making jams in the kitchen rather than taking photos in the war. It would have been safer, but boring.
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