Michael O’Brien: Reading Creatively
“How do we transcend our origins?” asks Michael O’Brien, associate chair of photography, SCAD Atlanta. “Can we create family in a greater sense of the word? Are we able to shed preconceived notions and follow our true selves? It has never been more important than it is now to understand and embrace the truth: You are responsible for your own life, and ultimately beholden only to yourself.”
Professor O’Brien’s personal journey towards enlightenment began around the time he started supplementing his ninth grade French homework with the works of James Baldwin and Virginia Woolf. Having studied under Walker Evans at Yale in the 1970s, O’Brien is an acclaimed photographer in his own right. His work, featured in publications including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, L’Uomo Vogue, and Elle Décor, also resides in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room (Dial Press, 1956): “Baldwin’s publisher refused to publish the work at first, because of the homosexual content of the book. Mirroring his own life, Baldwin’s protagonist travels to France to escape both his conservative upbringing and his engagement to a woman he has no intention of marrying, only to truly find himself in a foreign land. The book addresses the politics of America in the late ’40s and early ’50s, and ultimately parallels the history of black community in our nation.”
Jean Genet, Our Lady of the Flowers (Marc Barbezat — L’Arbalete, 1943): “Genet wrote this while in prison on sheets of brown paper in the hopes that it would be circulated. When a prison guard found the work, he burned it. In response, Genet wrote it again. The book tells the story of a drag queen in the Parisian underworld. The book also influenced a hero of mine, David Bowie. His song ‘The Jean Genie’ is based on Our Lady of the Flowers.”
Virginia Woolf, Orlando (Hogarth Press, 1928): “This book is an imaginative biography of Vita Sackville-West, who was a close friend and lover of Woolf. The book addresses the transition of genders and untraditional love, while exploring the possibility of living more than one life.”
E.M. Forster, Howard’s End (Edward Arnold, 1910): “Forster’s work was groundbreaking since it challenged social norms, the class system in place, and ‘acceptable’ relationships. The characters form a family on their own terms, and shed societal conventions in order to find happiness. All that matters to the characters is connection and true happiness.”
Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time (Peter Davies, 1951): “I love mysteries and spy novels, so this work, based on the life of Richard the Third and murder of his nephews in the Tower of London, is a favorite. The main character is a detective living in London in the 1900s working to solve a 500-year-old cold case from his hospital bed.”
Albert Camus, The Stranger (Hamish Hamilton, 1946): “My earliest understanding of this work was that you choose the rules of your life and, in doing so, you choose the life you live. Your life is not dependent on a system of values that come from a political party, a church, or a government. Your life is based on your decisions and choices. That was incredibly impactful as a young man, and has helped shape my life going forward.”
By Robert Almand
