Book Review, Love On The Left Bank By ED van der Elsken

Book Review

Love on the Left Bank

Love on the left bank, 1956, Ed van der Elsken 

Love on the left bank is a narrative story that portrays the carefree lives of bohemian youth and a reflection of post war Parisian life. The images featured in the book feel staged but fresh allowing us to see a diverse atmosphere of cultural realness and blunt subject matter. It's difficult for us to remember that these images are from a time long gone. without the written story accompanied with the images its hard to make the connection and to understand the nature of their nocturnal, aimless, drug addicted lives.

The book appears to have been created to express a story that can be artistically influenced by the black and white photography. Love on the left bank successfully sits as a documented black and white piece and captures the fictional story of Ann a bohemian woman living in Paris and records the birth of rebellious youth culture in Europe during the 1950's. The introduction to the book is short but interesting enough to grasp our attention giving the reader intrigue to continue on with the rest of the book. Images featured in the book provide the viewer with justification, while the viewer is drawn in with the story. The images don't appear to follow a clear sequence however the images support the narrative on several of the pages within the book. The narrative follows the youth culture in Paris in the 1950's and the life of the people involved many of with serious issues and even ended their lives just a few years after the events portrayed in the book.

To conclude Love on the Left Bank delves into the culture, lives and seeded activities of the lives of young European youths in the 1950's. Sex, scandals and convictions flourish and take form not just in the text but in the images so beautifully created of the fictional narrative. Love on the Left Bank is something people can relate to and at the very least appreciate it due to the realistic subject matter. Ed Van Der Elsken has truly recreated his vision of youth culture in Paris with a memorable
story something of which will stay with us for a life time.

Reference:
Ed van der Elsken (1999). Love On The Left Bank. Stockport: Dewi Lewis Publishing.