, published in English as

(trans. Richard Howard, New York: Hill and Wang, 1981), is the last book by Barthes to be published during his lifetime. At once a theoretical examination of the nature of photography,

is also a highly personal work of mourning. Barthes's mother, Henriette Barthes, died on October 25th 1977, and Barthes, who had lived with her for most of his life, lost his only permanent source of love. The work of mourning is a central feature of

and so cannot be missed by its readers. It should also be remembered, however, that as a gay man, the death of his mother (his father died before Barthes was a year old) implied a particular kind of loss for Barthes, as is apparent in his description…

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Citation: Allen, Graham. "La Chambre claire: note sur la photographie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10352, accessed 23 November 2024.]