Slightly Out of Focus

280 Pages·1999·34.14 MB·English

by  Robert Capa

—
U.S.A. $24.95
Canada$37.95
In 1942, a dashing young man who liked nothing so
much as a heated game of poker, a good bottle of
scotch, andthecompanyofaprettygirlhoppedamer-
chantshiptoEngland.HewasRobertCapa,thebrilliant
and daringphotojournalist, and Colliers magazine had
puthimonassignmenttophotographthewarragingin
Europe. In these pages, Capa recounts his terrifying
journeythroughthedarkestbattlesofWorldWarIIand
shares his memories of the men and women of the
Allied forces who befriended, amused, and captivated
himalongtheway.Hisphotographsaremasterpieces
John G. Morris, Magnum Photos' first executive editor, ***r
calledCapa"thecentury'sgreatestbattlefieldphotogra-
—
pher" and his writingis byturns riotouslyfunny and
deeplymoving.
FromSicilyto London, NormandytoAlgiers, Capa
experienced some ofthe most trying conditions imag-
inable,yethiscompassionandwitshineoneverypage
ofthis book. Charming and profound, Slightly Out of
Focusisamarvelousmemoirtoldinwordsandpictures
byanextraordinaryman.
ROBERT CAPA was born in Budapest in 1913. At
twenty-two he traveled to Spain to photograph the
Spanish Civil Warand soonestablished areputation
as one ofthe greatest warphotojournalists in history.
On May 25, 1954, in French Indochina, Capa was
the first American photographertodie in what would
become the Vietnam War.
CORNELL CAPA is Robert Capas younger brother. A
distinguished photojournalist, he founded the Inter-
nationalCenterofPhotographyinNewYorkCityin 1974.
RiCHARD Whelan is the author of Robert Capa: A
Biography. Togetherwith Cornell Capa, hehasedited
several books ofRobert Capa's photographs.
Giant
a r y

LIGHTLY
S
Q
UT OF OCUS
F
JU
M*_JU_.
Robert Capa
LIGHTLY
S
QUT
OF fOCUS
,-»m* :.v '- -
i
\ * \ i
\ ....>. *,
x
THE MODERN LIBRARY
AL BR
NEW YORK
0810
„P4
C34
1999
1999ModernLibraryEdition
Introductionandbiographicalnotecopyright© 1999byRichardWhelan
Copyright© 1999byCornellCapa
AllRobertCapaphotographscopyright© 1999byCornellCapa
Copyright© 1947byHenryHoltandCompany,Inc.
AllrightsreservedunderInternationalandPan-American
CopyrightConventions.PublishedintheUnitedStatesby
RandomHouse,Inc.,NewYork,andsimultaneouslyinCanadaby
RandomHouseof CanadaLimited,Toronto.
ModernLibraryandcolophonareregisteredtrademarksof RandomHouse,Inc.
Thisworkwasoriginallypublishedin 1947byHenryHoltandCompany,Inc.
ThiseditionpublishedbyarrangementwithCornellCapa.
—
TheModernLibrarywishestothankthestaff of MagnumPh—otos andin
particularEelcoWolf,DavidStrettell,andJessicaMurray fortheir
invaluableassistanceinassemblingtheRobertCapaimagescollectedherein.Magnum
Photos,theinternationalphotographers'cooperativecofoundedbyRobertCapain 1947,is
theexclusiveagentforCapa'sphotographs.
TwobooksofRobertCapa'swork,RobertCapa.Photographs
andHeartofSpain:RobertCapa'sPhotographsoftheSpanishCivilWar,
arecurrentlyavailablefromApertureFoundation,
20East23rdStreet,NewYork,NY 10010.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Capa,Robert, 1913-1954.
Slightlyoutoffocus/RobertCapa:forewordbyCornellCapa:
introductionbyRichardWhelan.
p. cm.
ISBN0-679-60328-X(alk.paper)
1. Capa,Robert, 1913-1954.— 2. WorldWar—, 1939-1945—Photography.
3. Warphotographers UnitedStates Biography. I. Title.
D810.P4C34 1999
779'.994054—dc21 99-24637
ModernLibrarywebsiteaddress:www.modernlibrary.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonacid-freepaper
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
Precedingpages:NEARTROINA,SICILY,AUGUST4-5, 1943.American troops
march towardthestrategichilltop town. The Germanswereholdingitasa
delayingaction untilmostoftheirforcescouldbeevacuatedfrom theisland.
Thetown controlledthemain roadtoMessina,from whichtheGermanarmy
wasbeingferriedto theItalian mainland.