A Fortunate Man
John Berger
[Canongate]
John Berger is a writer predominantly concerned with that rather nebulous term: experience. His books, from fiction to non-fiction, have dealt with the sociological questions and issues that arise from the quotidian rhythm of life. Berger’s narrative voice lives alongside its characters in a way that provides witness to their daily ritual, while concomitantly observing the mishaps and occasions that venture to disrupt our little routines. Berger’s A Fortunate Man (with photographs by Jean Mohr) tells the story of one John Sassall, a general practitioner with a deep commitment to both his profession and the art of introspection. The book charts the difficulties and pitfalls of his working life while maintaining a clear view of Dr. Sassall’s fallibility in the face of numerous demands.
Small epigraphical notes from such luminaries as Gramsci, Yeats and Josef Conrad, but it is the subject’s revelations and thoughts on his vocation upon which these aphorisms hang. The words of literary and philosophical greats touch lightly upon Dr. Sassall’s day-to-day life, with Berger’s illuminating prose always coming back to the doctor’s role as witness to the lives and sicknesses of his patients. This book is far more than the description of a general practitioner, packing sociological and political punches at every turn. The doctor’s life too, beautifully described in the words of Berger, is much more than the sum of its parts, making this book an emotive, honest read.
Words: James Hussey
