One of the most popular photographers on the planet recounts his life and art

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.

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.

Poignant, deeply personal … It includes the stories behind some of Parr’s most iconic photographs, all told with his signature dry humor … Utterly Lazy and Inattentive reflects how Parr approached photography — and life — with infinite wonder and curiosity * The New York Times *
Gorgeous … I loved Parr’s emphasis on recording the everyday, which is boring at the time, and then precious afterwards, when it’s gone. It’s just what I hope to do with writing, and treasure in reading -- Tessa Hadley
- - Praise for Martin Parr * - *
Martin Parr is a genius * W Magazine *
Martin Parr is the quintessential anorak * Prospect *
Martin Parr is the ultimate chronicler of Englishness * VICE *
Martin Parr is the Jay-Z of documentary photography * Star Tribune *
Like any successful spy, Martin Parr is the sort of guy you wouldn’t look at twice if you passed him in the street * The Times *
Martin Parr is the emperor of bad taste -- Vicki Goldberg
Like all great artists, Martin Parr has altered how we see the world -- Grayson Perry

Martin Parr was one of the world’s most famous and successful photographers, particularly celebrated as a searing and witty documentarian of British life.


Wendy Jones is a writer based in London. She is the author of seven books, including the bestselling Grayson Perry, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl. She has a PhD from Goldsmiths on writing interview-based biographies, and her books have been published in eleven languages.