Narcissus in Bloom

Praise

“Narcissus in Bloom is a real achievement … it marks a return to a now lost tradition: big-picture cultural theorising that speaks to and illuminates present-day anxieties in unexpected ways, spoken in the vernacular of contemporary popular culture, of the likes of Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall and more.” – Dan Taylor, author of Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom

“Relating one’s emotional self to those around us is at the very heart of Colquhoun’s queer critical and political project. Narcissus in Bloom is ambitious, moving, inspirational and loving… a purposeful and universal work driven by the author’s passion for photography.” – Dr. Michael Waugh, Lecturer in Media, Communication & Cultural Studies at Newcastle University

“Rather than see the selfie as a sign of self-absorption, this engrossing volume understands the selfie as expressing a longing for a kind of self-transformation. Elegantly and stylishly written, this book is the best kind of cultural criticism, sweeping away the worn- out cliches of the familiar for the freshness and wonder of the truly new.” – Jon Greenaway, author of Capitalism: A Horror Story

‘Narcissus in Bloom is a fascinating alternative genealogy of our modern obsession with the photographic self-image. With characteristic heart and sensibility, Colquhoun examines the philosophical and art historical roots of narcissism. Mining his emancipatory potential and rescuing him from his liberal individualist sequestering, Narcissus is recast as the fraught, forlorn and fractured face of contemporary subjectivity. To bridge the impossible gap between how we see ourselves and how others see us, this is the paradoxical and panoptical status of the self portrait today that Colquhoun rivetingly gets to grips with. You’ll never look at a selfie the same way again.’ – Isabel Millar, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence