This Moment

Name: This Moment
ISBN: 9787533969875

Geoff Dyer / 宋文Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMay 2023

4.0

Word count: 130K words
Chapters: 5
ISBN: 9787533969875

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Summary

*The Ongoing Moment* is a work of nonfiction by the British writer Geoff Dyer, an essay collection on the subject of photography. Across the book, Dyer presents a singular, personal history of photography made up of countless moments—the most famous works of photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, Dorothea Lange, and Paul Strand. Dyer links these photographers, who lived in different times and places, through the subjects they photographed (hats, the blind, railings, and so on), revealing the world as seen through the photographer's eye.

Editor's review

*The Ongoing Moment* is not a novel or a conventional essay collection but a singular meditation on "seeing" and "being" by Geoff Dyer, one of Britain's most important contemporary writers. At its core are eleven essays built around photographs. In his signature style—blending sharp insight, personal anecdote, literary quotation, and philosophical reflection—Dyer leads the reader to gaze at still images: from Dorothea Lange's *Migrant Mother* to William Eggleston's supermarket shelves, from archival photographs of Soviet space dogs to moments in Tarkovsky's films. His writing goes beyond image analysis, seeking to capture the mysterious instant in which "a photograph makes us stop," and to explore the nature of memory, time, death, and artistic representation. Dyer's prose is light yet profound, full of intellectual pleasure and undercurrents of feeling. He is not explaining photographs but conversing with them, and he invites the reader to join the conversation. For readers familiar with Dyer's "anti-genre" writing, this is another delightful intellectual excursion; for photography lovers, it is a master class in how to "read" images; and for anyone longing, in a fragmented age, for deep looking and inner quiet, the book offers a precious place to pause. What it teaches us, perhaps, is how, amid fleeting time, to turn a certain "ongoing moment" into eternity through attentive gazing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in the art of photography who wish to understand images beyond the technical level
Literature lovers who appreciate the "anti-genre" style that blends essay, criticism, autobiography, and philosophical reflection
People seeking spiritual pause in a fast-paced life and eager to train deep observation and feeling
Devoted readers of Geoff Dyer who wish to continue exploring his distinctive intellectual charm and formal experimentation

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for a traditional narrative structure, a complete plot, or clear conclusions
Utilitarians hoping for technical photography guidance or a pure compendium of photographic history

Reading tips

Slow down while reading; ideally view the photographs mentioned in the book alongside the text for an immersive experience
There is no need to read in order—begin with the chapters that interest or move you most, forging a personal connection with the book
Keep sticky notes at hand to record sentences and thoughts that trigger personal memories or flashes of insight

About the publisher

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is a Chinese publisher specializing in literary publishing. Judging from the 808 titles in the database, its publishing areas cover world classics, foreign literature, social novels, folk literature and classic works, as well as modern and contemporary literature and prose. Representative titles include foreign literary translations such as Anna Karenina, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, In Praise of Shadows and The Complete Tragedies and Comedies of Shakespeare, alongside classic works by Lao She and Lu Xun such as Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Wandering. Its authors and translators include Leo Tolstoy, Cao Ying, Lao She, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Zhu Shenghao. The press emphasizes the translation and introduction of classic texts and the compilation of native literary works, giving equal weight to Chinese and foreign literature. Owing to limited public information, its specific series and editorial policies are not elaborated here.

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FAQ

I've never heard of Geoff Dyer. Will that affect my reading of this book?

Not at all. The chapters stand relatively independent, and the book is an excellent starting point for discovering Dyer's distinctive style and intellectual world. His writing is as intimate as a friend's conversation, yet intellectually stimulating.

Do I need professional knowledge of photography to understand it?

No. Dyer's starting point is not professional photography criticism but the feelings and thoughts of a deeply engaged viewer. He focuses more on the universal emotions, memories, and reflections on existence that photographs evoke, so the barrier to entry is very low.

How is this book different from common collections of photography criticism?

The biggest difference lies in its intensely personal nature and mixed genres. Dyer seamlessly interweaves personal experience, literary allusion, philosophical musings, and image analysis. The result is not objective criticism but a highly subjective, creatively literary response.

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About the author

Geoff Dyer Author · British · 1958

Geoff Dyer is a British writer born in Cheltenham in 1958. He studied English literature at Oxford University. His books include But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz, Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D. H. Lawrence, Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It, White Sands, The Missing of the Somme, Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room, and The Encyclopedia of the Human Condition: Selected Essays. Blending fiction, travel writing, criticism, biography, and memoir, his work resists easy classification and ranges across jazz, literature, film, history, and travel. He has received the Somerset Maugham Award, the W. H. Smith Travel Book of the Year Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

宋文 Author

Song Wen is an author about whom little public information is available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Judging from the four works held in the collection, his writing interests center mainly on world history and photography. His representative work, Memoirs of World War II, published in two volumes, traces the historical course of the Second World War in memoir form, combining historical documentation with personal narrative. Another work, This Moment, falls into the photography category, indicating that he has also engaged in visual expression. Overall, Song Wen's writing spans historical accounts and visual records, with relatively focused subject matter and a documentary, retrospective style. Because verifiable public information is limited, details of his life and the full scope of his work remain to be supplemented, and readers can presently come to know his writing mainly through the works mentioned above.