BLIND SPOT

u003cbu003eIn this innovative synthesis of words and images, the award-winning author of u003ciu003eOpen Cityu003c/iu003e and photography critic for u003ciu003eThe New York Times Magazineu003c/iu003e combines two of his great passions.u003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003cbu003eOne of u003ciu003eTimeu003c/iu003e’s Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of the Year • One of u003ciu003eSmithsonian.comu003c/iu003eu003cbu003e’s u003c/bu003eTen Best Photography Books of the Yearu003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003c/bu003e When it comes to Teju Cole, the unexpected is not unfamiliar: He’s an acclaimed novelist, an influential essayist, and an internationally exhibited photographer. In u003ciu003eBlind Spotu003c/iu003e, readers follow Cole’s inimitable artistic vision into the visual realm as he continues to refine the voice, eye, and intellectual obsessions that earned him such acclaim for u003ciu003eOpen Cityu003c/iu003e.u003cbru003eu003cbru003e Here, journey through more than 150 of Cole’s full-color original photos, each accompanied by his lyrical and evocative prose, forming a multimedia diary of years of near-constant travel: from a park in Berlin to a mountain range in Switzerland, a church exterior in Lagos to a parking lot in Brooklyn; landscapes and interiors, beautiful or quotidian, that inspire Cole’s memories, fantasies, and introspections. Ships in Capri remind him of the work of writers from Homer to Edna O’Brien; a hotel room in Wannsee brings back a disturbing dream about a friend’s death; a home in Tivoli evokes a transformative period of semi-blindness, after which “the photography changed. . . . The looking changed.”u003cbru003eu003cbru003e As exquisitely wrought as the work of Anne Carson or Chris Marker, u003ciu003eBlind Spotu003c/iu003e is a testament to the art of seeing by one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003cbu003ePraise for u003ciu003eBlind Spotu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e“Common things [are] made radiant by the quality of Cole’s looking. . . . In this new, luminous book, Cole shows himself to be really one of the best at seeing.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eThe Guardianu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “This lyrical essay in photographs paired with texts explores the mysteries of the ordinary.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eThe New York Times Books Review u003c/iu003e(Editors’ Choice)u003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “Stunning . . . feels like the fulfillment of an intellectual project that has defined most of [Cole’s] career.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eSlateu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “Dazzling . . . cerebral yet intimate . . . combines personal essay, history, biography, journalism, and photography into a seamless package, capturing human dignity and grace through careful, clear-eyed reverence.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eViceu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “An eclectically brilliant distillation of what photography can do, and why it remains an important art form.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eSan Francisco Chronicleu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003e