My Cultural Life
Steve Pyke. Photo: Carly Clarke
British-born, New Orleans-based photographer Steve Pyke knows Ireland well. His new book, Scribendi: Portraits of Irish Writers 1985-2025, is published by Lilliput Press and out now.
BOOK: The Benefactors I read so many good books over the course of the last year for the Scribendi project. I really enjoyed getting into and discovering Kevin Barry, particularly his short stories. Louise Kennedy and Hugo Hamilton too. Currently, I’m reading The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine, and, to move forward into a new sphere, I’m in the middle of Ryszard Kapuściński’s epic and astounding book of his experiences in Russia, Imperium.
FILM: Bugonia I went to see Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, and I love how his films really sit with you – you process them for days afterwards. Similar to Lynne Ramsay – I just saw her film Die My Love, beautifully shot by my good friend Seamus McGarvey, and it was really ethereal.
I also enjoyed watching the adaptation of Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams. The cinematography really added to his dark, dreamlike prose and humanist storytelling.
MUSIC: Little Freddie King I recently had the privilege of spending time with and photographing Little Freddie King, a local Delta blues man and one of the last greats. It’s gotten me back into that whole scene. I’m very fortunate to live in such a vibrant music town in New Orleans which I’ve always thought of as an extension of the Caribbean, with the diaspora influence of Haitian, Cuban and Jamaican music.
I still listen to vinyl, and if I’m working to a deadline, I might listen to classical – a lot by my friend, Paul Cantelon. He has a brilliant collaboration with Lili Haydn, Lullabies for the Brokenhearted, which was nominated for a Grammy. It’s very tender, and lingers.
ICON: Bill Brandt The first picture I bought was by Tony Ray-Jones. But when I think about my earliest books, the photographer that really wowed me was Bill Brandt. I adored his surrealism, and I later found out he assisted Man Ray. And of course, Diane Arbus. I loved her scenes of New York and the edge to them. Irving Penn also, his portraits always hit me.