When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was ‘utterly lazy and inattentive’ in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the world. Martin has published over one hundred photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking, over his career. Now, for the first and only time, Martin has produced a book about himself, telling his own story, in his own words.
This autobiography combines over 150 of Martin’s photographs – from his earliest snapshots to the work he is doing today – with his recollections and reflections on each image. We meet a boy growing up in suburbia, who collects obsessively and notices everything. We see him exploding into the public consciousness in the late eighties with a series of startling, ultra-saturated colour images of the British seaside – and scandalising the photography establishment in the process. We see society changing over the decades, from the demise of steam trains, through the opening of the first McDonald’s in Moscow, to the transformations of the post-pandemic world.
As Martin shares his story, his distinctive voice delicately captured by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones, he also reveals his approach to work and commissions; his tricks for gaining access and getting the shot; and he divulges his particular passions: for crowds and queues, fetes and placards, bad weather on beaches, and more.
Martin says..."I’ve published over 130 photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking. This is the first and only time I’ll publish a book about myself. My autobiography is a combination of stories and photos taken from across my life - from my earliest snapshots to the work I’m doing now. It was a way for me to understand my progress as a photographer: to see what has changed, and what has stayed the same, both in my work and in the world. It has allowed me to see how everything is connected"
This is the definitive account of a great photographer’s career, curating the work that has defined his life. By looking at the world through his eyes and his lens, we come away seeing Martin Parr – and ourselves – a little differently.
BPH adds...The book is not a typical biography, instead it is one befitting one of Britain's great photographers with a focus on Martin's photography. Across 150 chapters Martin speaks to a single photograph tell the story of his life and career, from childhood, to student life in Manchester, and through his early documentary work, and on to The Last Resort, and thence to the present day. His photographs are used a jumping off point to discuss his own life and approach to photography. It's engaging and, even if you've heard Martin speak about his work, Wendy Jones has drawn out new insights into Martin Parr, the photographer, his thinking and into Parr-world. Recommended.
Utterly Lazy and Inattentive. Martin Parr in Words and Pictures
Martin Parr and Wendy Jones
£30, 312 pages, hardback
Particular Books, published 4 September 2025
ISBN: 9780241740828
Buy here to support the Martin Parr Foundation, signed and on pre-order
Photographs: Michael Pritchard
