Author(s) | Andrew George

Publisher | Musea Brugge; First Edition, 2015

Language(s) | English

Hardcover | 138 pages

ISBN-13 | 978-0692381069

More/Purchase | Right, before I die

Andrew George is a photographer. Also, a director, writer, cinematographer, and courageous excavator of humanity.

In 2012, he contacted a medical center in Mission Hills, California and proposed to create a photographic series of palliative care patients. The result of that two-year journey is Right, before I die, wherein a photo of each of the twenty, willing protagonists is accompanied by excerpts of their interviews with George.

The people profiled are all somebody; and, as George proves, without celebrity or exalted career status: all worthy subjects. Their stories are not glamorous or mythical. They tell of war, love, loss, anger, gratitude, faith, family, heartbreak, pride, civic duty, humility, and yes, (impending) death. They are the real stuff of life, which is what makes them exceptional. George engages his interlocutors with a personal and cultural openness – absent pretense – that invites frankness. He is neither invasive nor condescending. The effect is intimate, yet discreet. That they trusted him to steward their legacies is a gift to the world.

The careful thought that went into designing the book conveys George’s reverence for his subjects. The gatefolds, binding, paper texture, quality, and thickness all coalesce to create a catalog of perfect heft. Understated and elegant, it sits beautifully on its own commanding the attention it deserves.

The universal adage declares a picture worth a thousand words. In Right, before I die each photo, somehow, encapsulates a lifetime. Although each portrait tells a story of finality, one is somehow left brimming about the possibilities in life. This is the singular talent of Andrew George.

A preface by Marwa Kilani, M.D. provides rich context and a useful medical ethics framework for engaging with the portraits.

Forward by Alain de Botton, renown distiller of life.

TMG