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Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 115 ratings

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award

The first comprehensive biography of Weegee—photographer, “psychic,” ultimate New Yorker—from Christopher Bonanos, author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid.

Arthur Fellig’s ability to arrive at a crime scene just as the cops did was so uncanny that he renamed himself “Weegee,” claiming that he functioned as a human Ouija board. Weegee documented better than any other photographer the crime, grit, and complex humanity of midcentury New York City. In Flash, we get a portrait not only of the man (both flawed and deeply talented, with generous appetites for publicity, women, and hot pastrami) but also of the fascinating time and place that he occupied.

From self-taught immigrant kid to newshound to art-world darling to latter-day caricature—moving from the dangerous streets of New York City to the celebrity culture of Los Angeles and then to Europe for a quixotic late phase of experimental photography and filmmaking—Weegee lived a life just as worthy of documentation as the scenes he captured. With
Flash, we have an unprecedented and ultimately moving view of the man now regarded as an innovator and a pioneer, an artist as well as a newsman, whose photographs are among most powerful images of urban existence ever made.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHY OF 2018

*A New York Times and Library Journal Best Art Book of 2018, a Newsday and Town & Country Best Book of 2018, and a Star Tribune and Globe and Mail Best Holiday Gift Book*

“Christopher Bonanos has finally supplied us with the biography Weegee deserves: sympathetic and comprehensive, a scrupulous account with just the right touch of irreverence. Bonanos…takes the photographer seriously without letting him and his self-mythologizing off the hook.” ―
The New York Times

"[A]n outstanding biography...Bonanos is a peerless guide to Weegee’s career, writing with obvious relish and great insight." ―
Newsday

“A snappily written life of Weegee the Famous…[a] fine biography”―
The Wall Street Journal

"Weegee and his world don’t encourage minimalism, and, fifty years after his death, he has at last acquired a biographer who can keep up with him."
―Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker

"Continually fascinating…deeply researched…compelling."
Kirkus Reviews, *Starred Review*

“An analysis of the news photographer’s times, photos, and techniques as well as of his publicity-hungry persona, this it the biography the pseudonymous Arthur Fellig – self-anointed ‘official photographer for Murder Inc.’ – deserves.” ―
The Globe and Mail

"The cut and strut of Bonanos’ vivid prose captures the rough-and-tumble of mid-twentieth-century New York, while vital details gleaned from his extensive research enliven the portrait...he makes the man behind the camera fully human." ―
Booklist, *Starred Review*

“[A] superb biography…Bonanos has meticulously researched every aspect of Weegee’s life, filling this fascinating and lively account with amusing and touching anecdotes.” ―
Library Journal, *Starred Review*

“[An] impeccably researched biography…Bonanos offers a lively history of the early years of news photography, rich with anecdotes that create Weegee's persona."
―PopMatters.com

“Christopher Bonanos’ superb biography reveals how the man born as Usher Fellig in 1899 reinvented himself as a chronicler of the seedier sides of nocturnal Manhattan in the 1930s."
The Seattle Times

“[A] gritty, exhilarating portrait” ―BoweryBoysHistory.com

"Vivacious … long-overdue and endlessly entertaining."
The Santa Fe New Mexican

“[A]n energetic and informative biography…Bonanos’s revelatory portrait of 'Weegee the Famous' will interest general readers, as well as those with a special interest in photojournalism.”
Publishers Weekly

“Arthur ‘Weegee’ Fellig was perhaps the perfect vehicle for defining and delivering the fear and wonder of the modern city to our American spirit. Journalist, artist, and huckster, Weegee stole shards of a New York through a camera lens, then reassembled the great city in a mosaic that somehow―despite a fair degree of fraud―still defines urbanity itself for us. We know the photographs, and now, with this biography from Christopher Bonanos, we can finally know something of the legendary, improbable, and much-caricatured man."―
David Simon, creator of HBO's The Wire and The Deuce

"
Flash is a crackling portrait of a man and his eraas immediate and as alive as Weegee's pictures themselves. Chris Bonanos vivifies not only his subject, but the long lost New York that he lived in, and that made him."―Daniel Okrent, New York Times bestselling author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

“Weegee, in addition to being one of the greatest photographers ever, was a cartoon character and something of a living myth. This has confused perception for the better part of eighty years. Christopher Bonanos's nuanced and sympathetic account succeeds in merging those three aspects―not only was a lot of the bluster for real, but even the pure baloney was hard-won and contextually grounded. His is a sweet and melancholy book and a doorway into a mostly misremembered past.”
―Luc Sante, author of Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York

“There’s something about a car crash that makes people slow down as they pass by. The same is true of Weegee’s photos. Maybe I wouldn’t have liked to have known him, but it would’ve been interesting to have met him. And this fascinating biography by Christopher Bonanos brings to life the gritty old New York City where he lived and worked. He was a legendary character whose work inspired young hopefuls like myself."
―Cindy Sherman, artist

From the Back Cover

"Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig was perhaps the perfect vehicle for defining and delivering the fear and wonder of the modern city to our American spirit. Journalist, artist, and huckster, Weegee stole shards of a New York through a camera lens, then reassembled the great city in a mosaic that somehow--despite a fair degree of fraud--still defines urbanity itself for us. We know the photographs, and now, with this biography from Christopher Bonanos, we can finally know something of the legendary, improbable, and much-caricatured man." David Simon, creator of HBO's The Wire and The Deuce


"
Flash is a crackling portrait of a man and his era--as immediate and as alive as Weegee's pictures themselves. Chris Bonanos vivifies not only his subject, but the long lost New York that he lived in, and that made him." Daniel Okrent, New York Times bestselling author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition


"Weegee, in addition to being one of the greatest photographers ever, was a cartoon character and something of a living myth. This has confused perception for the better part of eighty years. Christopher Bonanos's nuanced and sympathetic account succeeds in merging those three aspects--not only was a lot of the bluster for real, but even the pure baloney was hard-won and contextually grounded. His is a sweet and melancholy book and a doorway into a mostly misremembered past."
Luc Sante, author of Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York

"There's something about a car crash that makes people slow down as they pass by. The same is true of Weegee's photos. Maybe I wouldn't have liked to have known him, but it would've been interesting to have met him. And this fascinating biography by Christopher Bonanos brings to life the gritty old New York City where he lived and worked. He was a legendary character whose work inspired young hopefuls like myself."
Cindy Sherman, artist

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074ZR3ZLK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Henry Holt and Co. (June 5, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 116512 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 115 ratings

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Christopher Bonanos
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
115 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched and enjoyable to read. They appreciate the vivid biography of a true character with facts about his life and work. The story is interesting at the beginning, but some felt it got tedious at chapter 10. The writing quality is described as excellent, comprehensive, and empathetic. The photos by Weegee are also appreciated.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

18 customers mention "Readability"14 positive4 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-researched. They appreciate the true biography of an older period without embellishment. The book provides an interesting portrait of an artist as an anti-artist.

"...Mr. Bonanos clearly has done extensive research into the man and his passion for telling the visual stories of countless New Yorkers with a million..." Read more

"An interesting portrait of a artist as anti-artist who lived the life on his subjects and related events, elevating the milieu to in many instances..." Read more

"...If you just like a well written and researched biography, buy this book. If you’ve read this far, get the book. You won’t be disappointed!!" Read more

"...Not because the writing is bad. It’s not. But because the subject becomes so dissolute that you just want it to end...." Read more

6 customers mention "Biography"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy this biography of Weegee. They find it well-written and informative, with plenty of details about his life and work. The book also provides a glimpse into the New York newspapers of the time.

"This is a well-written and vivid biography of one of the hardest-working professional photographers of the 20th Century...." Read more

"...There are plenty of facts about Weegee’s life, facts about individual photos and when and how they were taken, facts about the world Weegee came from..." Read more

"...is perfect, but this book digs pretty deep into the life and mystique of Weegee and comes close to that elusive goal of perfection...." Read more

"Great book about Weegee the famous! From his start in New York to his time in California." Read more

6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the story engaging at the beginning. They appreciate the depth of exploration into the life and mystique of Weegee. However, some found the book tedious after chapter 10.

"..."FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" is as fresh and charming a story as I've read in years...." Read more

"...It's a complex story, following Weegee's rise from fairly low-status jobs in newspaper darkrooms to becoming the premier crime photographer in the..." Read more

"...It was a perfect time to have been Weegee: it was a time for Flash." Read more

"...There's a great movie based on this amazing tale as well as several more books, including Weegee's own autobiography, and everything simply works..." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They say it's comprehensive and empathetic.

"...The writing is witty, informed and confident...." Read more

"This is a well-written and vivid biography of one of the hardest-working professional photographers of the 20th Century...." Read more

"Simply put, this is a wonderful book. Extremely well written, comprehensive, not sympathetic but empathetic given the time period and environment..." Read more

"...Beautifully written, it tells the touching, gross, and hilarious story of a true original: a guy with a camera - and an approach to using it - that..." Read more

3 customers mention "Photo quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's photos and research on Weegee. They find the book well-researched and a true depiction of a photography icon.

"...Mr. Bonanos has crafted a true picture of a photography icon and documented the hard work and dedication he brought to becoming successful in a..." Read more

"...There are plenty of facts about Weegee’s life, facts about individual photos and when and how they were taken, facts about the world Weegee came from..." Read more

"A lot of good photos by Weegee in this volume and a well-researched book on his life and career, and snapshot ofd the news industry of the era" Read more

Just finished this WONDERFUL book in one sitting while on vacation in Spain.
5 out of 5 stars
Just finished this WONDERFUL book in one sitting while on vacation in Spain.
As a New Yorker that's seen and heard just about every classic New York Story, Christopher Bonanos's "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" is as fresh and charming a story as I've read in years. It's actually amazing there hasn't already been a biography written about one of the most iconic and eccentric news photographers of the golden age of newspapers. Mr. Bonanos clearly has done extensive research into the man and his passion for telling the visual stories of countless New Yorkers with a million stories to tell. The writing is witty, informed and confident. I particularly appreciated the background on what was happening in NYC politically, economically, socially through Prohibition, the Great Depression and beyond, all the while WEEGEE (Arthur Fellig) was making an international name for himself navigating the red tape and fierce competition in the world of journalism. "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" would make a fantastic film. Kudos!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018
    As a New Yorker that's seen and heard just about every classic New York Story, Christopher Bonanos's "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" is as fresh and charming a story as I've read in years. It's actually amazing there hasn't already been a biography written about one of the most iconic and eccentric news photographers of the golden age of newspapers. Mr. Bonanos clearly has done extensive research into the man and his passion for telling the visual stories of countless New Yorkers with a million stories to tell. The writing is witty, informed and confident. I particularly appreciated the background on what was happening in NYC politically, economically, socially through Prohibition, the Great Depression and beyond, all the while WEEGEE (Arthur Fellig) was making an international name for himself navigating the red tape and fierce competition in the world of journalism. "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" would make a fantastic film. Kudos!
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Just finished this WONDERFUL book in one sitting while on vacation in Spain.

    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018
    As a New Yorker that's seen and heard just about every classic New York Story, Christopher Bonanos's "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" is as fresh and charming a story as I've read in years. It's actually amazing there hasn't already been a biography written about one of the most iconic and eccentric news photographers of the golden age of newspapers. Mr. Bonanos clearly has done extensive research into the man and his passion for telling the visual stories of countless New Yorkers with a million stories to tell. The writing is witty, informed and confident. I particularly appreciated the background on what was happening in NYC politically, economically, socially through Prohibition, the Great Depression and beyond, all the while WEEGEE (Arthur Fellig) was making an international name for himself navigating the red tape and fierce competition in the world of journalism. "FLASH: The Making of WEEGEE THE FAMOUS" would make a fantastic film. Kudos!
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    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2022
    An interesting portrait of a artist as anti-artist who lived the life on his subjects and related events, elevating the milieu to in many instances high art. Weegie was without knowing it (or perhaps knowing all along) was helping to shape through his photography a multi-faceted culture of inner city lives and events that would have been lost and/or devoid of honor and integrity if not for his creative mind and humanistic, earthen soul. In his later years when he diverged across many different visual and cultural domains, we see the essence of an iconoclast and an original who manipulated and was manipulated by the shifting of the times that define the present for better or worse while relegating the past as both a bygone era and forcing one to realize that they are no longer relevant and thus forgotten, despite efforts and energies to the contrary.

    Weegie was a complex man made up of a broken mosaic held loosely together by a single personal dynamic to visualize and record lives and a world that reflected an equally broken mosaic loosely held together by the tumult of humanity.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2018
    There are books I hate to end, and books I can’t wait to finish. This biography of Weegee the Famous, the groundbreaking press photographer turned charicature, belongs in a special category — books I thought I’d never finish. Not because the writing is bad. It’s not. But because the subject becomes so dissolute that you just want it to end. Weegee made the rules, then distorted and rewrote them, and finally just succumbed to his own press releases. Uplifting and sad at the same time. I could put it down ... but didn’t.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2020
    This is a well-written and vivid biography of one of the hardest-working professional photographers of the 20th Century. This is also the story of a man who was incredibly skilled at news photography and pursued what is now known as personal branding to an extreme degree, going from admirable hustler Arthur Fellig to boastful and overbearing Weegee. It's a complex story, following Weegee's rise from fairly low-status jobs in newspaper darkrooms to becoming the premier crime photographer in the United States in the 1940s, and then onwards to his seduction into Hollywood and his descent into trick photography and questionable outre projects.

    Throughout, while author Christopher Bonanos gladly debunks many of Weegee's oft-repeated self-mythologizing, he also lends a considerable amount of sympathy to a largely self-educated immigrant whose appearance, accent, and lack of WASP decorum led to him being a punchline to many mainstreamers even at the height of his fame. This never devolves into armchair psychoanalysis, but one gets the sense from reading this book that much of Weegee's pushiness and misogyny were covers for a deep-seated loneliness. He certainly comes across as misunderstood, and seems to have been a man whose work was primarily his life.

    Truth be told, Weegee is a very hard figure to get a handle on, and it hasn't gotten easier with the many Weegee museum retrospectives over the past 20 years. But Bonanos is the first I've read who doesn't try to make the claim that everything Weegee did was high art, or that he was the "American Brassai" or other high-sounding claims. Bonanos gives enough room in most chapters for Weegee to breathe, and places him within the context of changing trends in newspaper and magazine publication in the United States. I can't say that I feel as though I finally know Weegee, but I certainly feel much closer to his essence than I did seeing his old photos at several gallery shows.

    One important last note. While many Weegee photos are reproduced in this book, the reproductions themselves are not of the highest quality. This is a biography, not an art book. If you're looking for a coffee table book of Weegee's crime photos, you'll have to go elsewhere. But if you're looking for a true biography of the man, this is the only show in town.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
    Simply put, this is a wonderful book. Extremely well written, comprehensive, not sympathetic but empathetic given the time period and environment that Weegee lived in. It’s so nice to read a truthful biography of someone from an earlier period without overlays of condescension based on “today’s standards”. Mr. Bonanos has crafted a true picture of a photography icon and documented the hard work and dedication he brought to becoming successful in a difficult environment. If you like pre and post WWII era NYC history, buy this book. If you like general photography history, buy this book. If you like street photography, buy this book NOW. If you just like a well written and researched biography, buy this book. If you’ve read this far, get the book. You won’t be disappointed!!
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Resgerr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2024
    Great read about the life of Weegee. I learnt alot I didn't know about him.
  • Richard Belfry
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book!
    Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2021
    I have almost finished this excellent book. It is a very entertaining look at a very interesting man living in interesting times. I have long been a fan of Weegee's work. Highly recommend this book to his fans, those interested in the beginnings of photojournalism and of early to mid century New York and Hollywood.

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