Essayist Sam Stephenson’s fascination with Gene Smith (1918-1978) led him down a 20-year investigation into the photographer’s life. The resulting book, fortunately, isn’t a monotonous chronicle but a set of essays examining the subject from various angles. It’s not the first biography of Smith, whose chiaroscuro photographs were published in Life magazine before he set out on his own for an amphetamine- and alcohol-fueled life on the edge. Stephenson isn’t a fawning admirer, calling out Smith for his cult of personality, and maintains a critical yet sympathetic stance toward his subject. A Wide-Angle View brings a fresh interpretation to a leading figure from photography’s heroic age. One complaint: The book includes none of Smith’s photographs.
