{"title":"Susan Sontag","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSusan Sontag\u003c\/strong\u003e offers incisive explorations of culture, art, and society through essays that challenge traditional interpretations and provoke thoughtful reflection. Her works span diverse subjects, including photography, illness, and the politics of representation, blending intellectual rigour with vivid prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders will find a compelling mix of \u003cem\u003ecritical essays\u003c\/em\u003e, cultural commentary, and narrative fiction that illuminate the complexities of modern life. Sontag’s writing invites engagement with profound ideas on human experience, creativity, and the roles of art and storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"against-interpretation-and-other-essays","title":"Against Interpretation and Other Essays","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAgainst Interpretation and Other Essays\u003c\/i\u003e is a landmark collection that showcases the formidable intellect and insightful critique of Susan Sontag. Originally published in 1966, this collection has never gone out of print and continues to resonate with readers around the world due to its timeless exploration of art, culture, and thought. As Sontag's first collection of essays, it firmly established her as one of the most influential cultural critics of her generation, offering a series of provocative discussions that span a broad array of subjects, from individual authors to the nuances of contemporary religious thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection includes some of Sontag's most renowned and influential essays. In 'On Style', she explores the complex relationship between content and form in art, arguing that style is not a decorative addition but an intrinsic part of a work's substance. 'Notes on \"Camp\"' is a seminal piece that dissects the concept of \"camp\" sensibility, which Sontag describes as a mode of aestheticism characterised by a love for the exaggerated, the \"off,\" and of things being what they are not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the titular essay, Against Interpretation, Sontag puts forward a compelling argument against the reductive practice of interpreting art solely through symbolic meanings, advocating instead for a more immediate and sensuous appreciation of the experience art provides. She critiques the prevalent modern critical approaches that overshadow the visceral connection with artworks, urging readers to embrace what she calls an \"erotics of art\". This essay is particularly notable for its bold perspective and has been a subject of extensive discussion and analysis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the collection, Sontag demonstrates her keen ability to engage with cultural phenomena deeply and thoughtfully, making connections that reveal the underlying intricacies of the subjects she examines. Her prose is not only intellectually rigorous but also accessible, making complex ideas comprehensible without diluting their significance. She moves effortlessly between discussions on literature, film, philosophy, and politics, providing fresh perspectives that challenge conventional thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAgainst Interpretation and Other Essays remains an essential read, offering insights that are as relevant today as when they were first penned. Sontag's essays serve as a clarion call for a deeper engagement with art and culture, encouraging readers to look beyond surface interpretations and to appreciate the multifaceted experiences that art can provide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45691339899116,"sku":"9780141190068","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141190068.jpg?v=1725544438"},{"product_id":"notes-on-camp","title":"Notes on Camp","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eNotes on Camp\u003c\/i\u003e, Susan Sontag explores the intriguing and often misunderstood aesthetic of \"camp,\" delving into the reasons why certain art forms, fashion, and cultural expressions resonate uniquely with audiences. Through incisive analysis and sharp insights, Sontag unravels the complex interplays between taste, irony, and exaggerated style. This essay is a compelling exploration of the pseudo-serious, the extravagant, and the beautifully banal, providing readers with an eye-opening understanding of how \"camp\" has infiltrated various aspects of culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelecting two of her most renowned essays, this volume includes both \u003ci\u003eNotes on \"Camp\"\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAgainst Interpretation\u003c\/i\u003e. These essays were pioneering works of criticism that dismantled traditional boundaries separating 'high' and 'low' culture, propelling Susan Sontag to literary stardom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Penguin Modern Classics series celebrates its pioneering spirit by offering fifty new books, each priced at e1, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. As part of this collection, Sontag’s essays are indispensable reads for anyone interested in cultural studies, literature, or aesthetics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSontag famously stated, \"The ultimate Camp statement: it’s good because it’s awful.\" This paradoxical pronouncement captures the essence of camp as an art form that celebrates artifice and stylisation over content and sincerity. Her exploration goes beyond mere definition, diving into historical precedents and cultural ramifications, thus making her work a seminal text in the realm of literary criticism and cultural studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNotes on Camp\u003c\/i\u003e remains a vital piece of writing that continues to influence and inspire discussions about the ever-evolving landscapes of art and culture. Through eloquent prose and thoughtful examination, Sontag invites readers to reconsider their perceptions of taste, value, and the nature of art itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45692302721260,"sku":"9780241339701","price":6.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241339701.jpg?v=1725556220"},{"product_id":"on-women-by-susan-sontag-9780241996843","title":"On Women","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn Women\u003c\/em\u003e brings together Susan Sontag's most fearless and incisive writing on women, a crucial aspect of her work that has not until now received the attention it deserves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the most part written in the 1970s during the height of second-wave feminism, Sontag's essays are strikingly relevant to our contemporary conversations. At times powerfully in sync and at others powerfully at odds with them, they are always characteristically original in their examinations of the 'biological division of labour', the double-standard for ageing, and the dynamics of women's powerlessness and women's power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs Merve Emre writes in her introduction, 'They offer us the spectacle of a ferocious intellect setting itself to the task at hand— to articulate the politics and aesthetics of being a woman in the United States, the Americas, and the world.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46216376811756,"sku":"9780241996843","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241996843.jpg?v=1740542931"},{"product_id":"illness-as-metaphor-and-aids-and-its-metaphors-by-susan-sontag-9780141187129","title":"Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIllness as Metaphor\u003c\/i\u003e is an examination of the fantasies concocted around conditions such as cancer and tuberculosis in our cultural history. Susan Sontag argues that illness is not a metaphor and that the most truthful way of regarding illness—and the healthiest way of being ill—is to resist such thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer examples of metaphors and images of illness are taken from medical and psychiatric thinking, as well as from sources ranging from Greek and Medieval writings to Dickens, Thomas Mann, Henry James, Frank Lloyd Wright, Auden, and others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAIDS and Its Metaphors\u003c\/i\u003e, the sequel, is obviously written in the light of the AIDS crisis. Sontag states that our metaphors for AIDS and its effects may be damaging; they suggest an apocalypse in personal and social terms, and therefore threaten not only the victims of the disease but all of society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46249909256428,"sku":"9780141187129","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141187129.jpg?v=1741524624"},{"product_id":"styles-of-radical-will-by-susan-sontag-9780141190051","title":"Styles of Radical Will","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStyles of Radical Will\u003c\/em\u003e is Susan Sontag's second collection of groundbreaking essays, now available in Penguin Modern Classics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection features some of the most significant pieces of criticism from the twentieth century. Among them are the classics \"The Aesthetics of Silence,\" offering a brilliant account of language, thought, and consciousness, and \"Trip to Hanoi,\" penned during the Vietnam War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection also includes a compelling analysis of America's identity and future, alongside a robust and surprising discussion of pornography. Further enriching the compilation are writings on art, film, literature, and politics, all testament to Sontag's incisive and wide-ranging intellectual engagement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46251298423020,"sku":"9780141190051","price":34.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141190051.jpg?v=1741571305"},{"product_id":"the-volcano-lover-by-susan-sontag-9780141190112","title":"The Volcano Lover","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Volcano Lover\u003c\/em\u003e is an enchanting, always interesting, and always entertaining book. It has been described as \"a big, old-fashioned broth of a book\" by John Banville in The New York Times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe British Ambassador at the court of Naples has only two passions: his precious art collection, and his fascination with volcanoes. This changes when he agrees to care for his nephew's discarded mistress. As he acquires a new obsession in the shape of this beautiful, vulgar, carefree woman, he eventually takes her for his wife.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, when the heroic captain of the British Navy arrives in Italy, an affair erupts between him and the ambassador's wife, threatening to throw everyone's lives off course. Susan Sontag's exquisite re-telling of the story of Nelson and Emma Hamilton is a powerful exploration of love and possession that, with its shifting voices and viewpoints, conjures up an entire age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA review by the Philadelphia Inquirer lauds it as \"A great novel. It repeatedly scales heights of complex thought, passion and expression that few American writers ever approach, while reimagining a majestic love story in dazzling style.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46298816872684,"sku":"9780141190112","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6703103482238.jpg?v=1743043726"},{"product_id":"under-the-sign-of-saturn-by-susan-sontag-9780141190082","title":"Under the Sign of Saturn","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNew to Penguin Modern Classics for Sontag's exploration of the most important artists of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnder the Sign of Saturn\u003c\/i\u003e, Susan Sontag's third essay collection, brings together her most important critical writing from 1972 to 1980. In these provocative and hugely influential works, she explores some of the most controversial artists and thinkers of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection includes her now-famous polemic against Hitler's favourite filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, and the cult of fascist art, as well as a dazzling analysis of Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's \u003ci\u003eHitler, a Film from Germany\u003c\/i\u003e. There are also highly personal and powerful explorations of death, art, language, history, the imagination, and writing itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302806900972,"sku":"9780141190082","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6702803482238.jpg?v=1743109971"},{"product_id":"on-photography-by-susan-sontag-9780141035789","title":"On Photography","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe most original and illuminating study of the subject\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow do we see the world around us? The Penguin on Design series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design, and the media have changed our vision forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSusan Sontag's groundbreaking critique of photography asks forceful questions about the moral and aesthetic issues surrounding this art form. Photographs are everywhere. They have the power to shock, idealise or seduce, they create a sense of nostalgia and act as a memorial, and they can be used as evidence against us or to identify us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn six incisive essays, Sontag examines the ways in which we use these omnipresent images to manufacture a sense of reality and authority in our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46502369951980,"sku":"9780141035789","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5159873482238.jpg?v=1748613627"},{"product_id":"stories-by-susan-sontag-9780241982716","title":"Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComplete collected stories from one of the most brilliant \u0026amp; influential writers of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSusan Sontag is most often remembered as a brilliant essayist—inquiring, analytical, fearlessly outspoken. Yet all throughout her life, she also wrote short stories—fictions which wrestled with those ideas and preoccupations she couldn't address in essay form. These short fictions are allegories, parables, autobiographical vignettes, each capturing an authentic fragment of life, dramatizing Sontag's private griefs and fears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStories\u003c\/em\u003e collects all of Sontag's short fiction for the first time. This astonishingly versatile collection showcases its peerless writer at the height of her powers. For any Sontag fan, it is an unmissable testament to her creative achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46671489138924,"sku":"9780241982716","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3540703482274.jpg?v=1752819190"},{"product_id":"to-tell-a-story-by-susan-sontag-9781837262960","title":"To Tell a Story","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite their status as intellectual giants of the twentieth century, John Berger and Susan Sontag's artistic collaboration—and intense friendship—remains virtually unknown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublished for the first time, \u003ci\u003eTo Tell a Story\u003c\/i\u003e offers a glimpse into their shared history that spanned nearly a quarter-century. From sources such as their eponymous film broadcast, rare personal letters and archival recordings, the composite fragments build a portrait of a relationship that was often lively and challenging, sometimes trivial, and always affectionate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBerger and Sontag's voices echo throughout these pages, riffing off the other as they grapple with their respective concerns. Above all, their conversations reveal a deep reciprocal admiration and an exchange of ideas about storytelling, the self and society that informed their own work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47496811643116,"sku":"9781837262960","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781837262960-to-tell-a-story.jpg?v=1775800359"},{"product_id":"on-photography-by-susan-sontag-9781250374745","title":"On Photography","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA new edition of Susan Sontag's groundbreaking critique of photography—its problems, politics, and possibilities.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed,\" Sontag writes in the opening pages of \u003cem\u003eOn Photography\u003c\/em\u003e, which went on to influence generations of theorists, film critics, and readers everywhere. Originally published in the 1970s, her groundbreaking collection remains uncannily prescient and profoundly precise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith her singular searching eye, and her refusal to buckle under received wisdom, she presents a rousing critique of the functions of imagery—to seduce, to advertise, to evoke, to commemorate, to conspire, to conceal—across six essays. The result is a damning portrait of the ways we use imagery to manufacture reality and authority that feels as if it were written today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47643124596972,"sku":"9781250374745","price":52.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/e8afdece4e966b57808155dbe12f1b0c.jpg?v=1779169681"},{"product_id":"against-interpretation-by-susan-sontag-9781250374752","title":"Against Interpretation","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA reissue of Susan Sontag's classic first collection, featuring some of her most beloved writing\u003c\/strong\u003e—on art, life, camp, and criticism—that cemented her legacy as one of the brightest thinkers of, and beyond, her generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSusan Sontag is widely regarded as one of the most formidable, original, and influential writers of the last century. \u003cem\u003eAgainst Interpretation\u003c\/em\u003e is a modern classic, her first-ever collection and the work that launched her storied career when it was published in 1966. It has influenced generations of readers and still contains some of her best-known essays, including \"Notes on Camp,\" \"Against Interpretation,\" and a dazzling range of, well, interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGrand in scope—ranging from philosophy to film to religion to psychoanalysis—and short in length, this pocket-sized, pithy, and profound book introduces \"a larger-than-life intellectual powerhouse\" (Leslie Jamison).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47933647552748,"sku":"9781250374752","price":54.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781250374752-against-interpretation.jpg?v=1783879165"},{"product_id":"regarding-the-pain-of-others-by-susan-sontag-9781250374721","title":"Regarding the Pain of Others","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA brilliant, clear-eyed consideration of the visual representation of violence in our culture—its ubiquity, meanings, and effects.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eConsidered one of the greatest critics of her generation, Susan Sontag followed up her monumental \u003cem\u003eOn Photography\u003c\/em\u003e with an extended study of human violence, reflecting on a question first posed by Virginia Woolf in \u003cem\u003eThree Guineas\u003c\/em\u003e: How in your opinion are we to prevent war?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"For a long time some people believed that if the horror could be made vivid enough, most people would finally take in the outrageousness, the insanity of war.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the distinguishing features of modern life is that it supplies countless opportunities for regarding (at a distance, through the medium of photography) horrors taking place throughout the world. 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