Camera lucida. Notation of a photograph | Roland Barthes

What is this book about?
This is the most famous study of photography, combining a philosophical analysis of the medium with deeply personal reflection. Written by Roland Barthes in 1980, this book was his last work, published a few months before his death.

What makes it unique?

• This is not just a theory of photography, but a study of its effects on emotions, memory, and the body.
• Bart examines the photograph through his personal experience of losing his mother and tries to find her “true” image in the childhood photo.
• The author rejects classical semiotic analysis and argues that photography is asymbolic and extra-semiotic—it works not through meaning, but through momentary emotional impact.

Why is this book important?

• It is a textbook text that still influences photographic theory and visual studies.
• It has never been translated into Ukrainian before, which makes its release a significant event.
• “Camera lucida” is not only about photography, but also about memory, death, loss, and the way of seeing the world through images.

Who will be interested?

• For those interested in the philosophy of photography and visual studies.
• Artists, photographers, art historians, cultural scholars.
• For anyone who wants to understand how photography works not only as a medium, but also as an emotional trigger.

This book changes the way we think about photography, forcing us to rethink its power and personal meaning.