Abbas Man under a table in the desert. Village of San Augustin de Oapan, Guerrero, Mexico. 1984.
"When I used the word ‘photo-novel’ yesterday, was I being innocent? This is no essay that I am photogra
(...) phing — i.e., writing with light. I have nothing to prove or demonstrate, except myself. I've immersed myself in Mexico and I'm led by the rhythm of the country, possessed by its breathing — it isn't I who lead or possess. Isn't this how a novelist works?
…
Who has written photography, like a novel? Essays, autobiographical retrospectives, yes. Travel books with series of photos that sometimes converse with one another, yes. Collections of moods, feelings, meetings, yes. But a book in which imagination plays with reality?"
– Abbas. Text extracted from the book Return to Mexico. © Abbas | Magnum Photos