Un Automne en Pays de Fayence
Photographs by Catherine Karnow
Written by Gilles Portaz
A love letter to the people of Fayence, in Provence, this book contains stunning photographs and evocative words that show the beauty of the ancient perched villages, the wild landscapes, and the welcoming people in this region.
We are reminded of what we have all around us, that which endures even in a troubled time, all that we can appreciate and love.
While too many regions of Europe have lost their sense of authenticity, the Pays de Fayence, a string of ten hilltop villages in Provence, maintain a faithful sense of tradition.
And no one could capture that feel of a quintessential pocket of France better than long-time National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow.
Her photos, always aiming at deeper truths, capture the area's pastel-washed perched villages, silver olive groves and sensual beauty, but also a parallel universe of intrepid locals: the cobbler who has been repairing the villagers’ shoes for decades; the market vendors and artists; the wine-makers and the families who have made the region their home for generations.
Local native and writer Gilles Portaz complements Karnow's photos, and together they take us on a journey through a classic gallic landscape.
-Raphael Kadushin, writer-editor, National Geographic
DETAILS
Softback
Size 20 cm x 23 cm / 8 in x 9 in
189 pages
129 photos
In French & English
COST
42 euros or $52
Shipping worldwide: 10 euros or $12 per book
(Please note that shipping could take up to 2 weeks. Email us if you have an urgent request.)
Books will be signed by Catherine Karnow and Gilles Portaz.
Please email us if you would like them inscribed in a particular way or to someone special.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love infuses the body, mind, soul - and eye - of Catherine Karnow as she reunites with her soul’s mate, Gilles Portaz, on a tour through the Pays de Fayence, in Provence.
The pandemic has isolated us in ways that heighten our sensitivity to the world and to each other. Un Automne en Pays de Fayence is a book that offers connection.
We view each village from afar and long to enter it, and when we do, we wander along narrow alleys as shadows caress ancient walls; we taste warm honey that embraces sunlight in a golden glow; we step inside a boulangerie to the heady aroma of buttery croissants and the shy smile of the baker.
Indigo skies over distant mountains, orange persimmons on a weathered picnic table, fluttering leaves of golden yellow - the intensity of color kisses us. Intimate welcome on the faces of farmers, shopkeepers, wine-makers and children fills us with belonging. Through Gilles’ text, the villages themselves come alive, along with their long histories, and we know that they - and we - will endure.
Each luminous page expresses the passion of reunion of Catherine and Gilles, with each other and with the region and the people of Pays de Fayence, so fully that we find ourselves flooded with the sensations of amour.
- Erin Byrne, writer-editor
PRESS
France 3 TV Interview (in French) December 23, 2020
Just before Christmas, the TV station France 3 filmed Gilles and me in both the village of Mons, where Gilles grew up, and in the little cottage where we stayed while creating the book. France 3 airs to the people of the Var region and the Cote d'Azur. It was great to work with reporter Maxime Meuneveaux and cameraman Alexandre Dequidt.
France Bleu Radio Interview (in French) December 24, 2020
We told our story to France Bleu radio station interviewer Cedric Fremi, who was super-high energy and fun. His show, Destination Provence, is listened to by over 200,000 people each day, in the Var and Bouches-du-Rhone regions.
TV83 Website Article (in French) December 17, 2020
A great long article that tells the story of our romance and explains in detail much about our book, including many of the images published in the book.
Var-Matin newspaper (in French) December 27, 2020
To see the full article, please click on: “Je regarde une publicité”
Journalist Raphaël Schott wrote a deep and insightful article about us and the book for the leading newspaper of the entire Var region. Photographer Clément Tiberghien took some sensational photos.
ABOUT CATHERINE
Based in San Francisco and Provence, National Geographic photographer, Catherine Karnow has enjoyed a thirty-five year career, shooting for a wide variety of international publications.
Catherine’s history with France goes back to her parents. Her father, renowned journalist Stanley Karnow, lived in Paris for a decade, writing for Life magazine. His book, Paris in the Fifties, was published in 1999. Her mother, Annette Karnow, modeled for Dior in the 50s.
Catherine has worked in France for over three decades. For her first assignment as a professional photographer in 1984, she spent three months photographing the entire country of France. Her photo book on Provence was published in 1991.
Catherine's passion for photography carries into her love for teaching. She gives private workshops and teaching seminars all over the world. Her own highly acclaimed Photo Workshops in Paris, Italy, Vietnam-Cambodia, and South India are unique in the roster of workshops.
ABOUT GILLES PORTAZ
Gilles Portaz has been a professor of history and geography for over twenty-five years, teaching in lycées in Provence, Paris and San Francisco. Gilles grew up in Mons en Provence and Nice, and is the father of two teenage boys.
In addition to being a teacher, Gilles has launched a successful business in the resurfacing of swimming pools in Provence and the Cote d’Azur. He is also involved in developing the family olive oil business.
Gilles’ blog - gilles-portaz.fr - is widely read; he writes on the events unfolding today with the perspective of an intellectual deeply versed in world history.
OUR STORY
We had been separated for over a year, Catherine at her home in San Francisco, and Gilles in Mons en Provence. Thanks to a “love visa” - the French government’s way of allowing couples separated by the pandemic to unite - we were together once again, in Provence, in November 2020.
Meanwhile, Gilles had been surfing local social media sites, and was noticing a serious malaise in the conversations. He had the idea of doing a book - Catherine would photograph; he would write. The book would be for the people of the Pays de Fayence, in Provence, to lift their spirits and give them a sense of hope.
Importantly, through photographs and words, it would be a way to remind the community of all that we have, rather than what we are missing, at this moment in time.
And so the book, Un Automne en Pays de Fayence was born.
For a month, we explored the villages and countryside. And although the streets were silent, there was a beauty in the quiet. The shops and restaurants were shut, but we met people here and there, and discovered villagers genuinely welcoming and friendly, eager to make friends.
This book is a tribute to the people of the region of the Pays de Fayence, a love letter. It is our way of giving back to life, for all that life has given us.