Glasberg, Georges. Provence Insolite. Photographs by Georges Glasberg. Text by Jean-Paul Clébert.

Bernard Grasset Éditeur, Paris, 1958.  First edition.  64 black-and-white photographs by Glasberg preceded by 163 text pages in French.  With list of photographs taken in Provence, France, in both French and English, at the back of the book. Very good hardcover in cloth with short closed tear at top of spine. Protected dust jacket good with wear at extremities. Uncommon. Summary:

Provence Insolite (1966) is a captivating departure from the sun-drenched, postcard clichés of Southern France. A collaboration between photographer Georges Glasberg and the "vagabond" writer Jean-Paul Clébert, the book serves as an atmospheric guide to the "unusual" or "hidden" Provence—a land of shadows, ancient stones, and eerie silences.

Core Themes and Content

• The "Other" Provence: Instead of lavender fields and bustling markets, Glasberg and Clébert focus on the "insolite" (strange or unexpected). They explore abandoned hilltop villages, pagan-influenced folk art, weathered Roman ruins, and the harsh, lonely landscapes of the Vaucluse and the Luberon.

• Clébert’s "Underground" Narrative: Jean-Paul Clébert, famous for his cult classic Paris Insolite, brings a similar grit to the countryside. His text is less a travelogue and more a psychological map of a region steeped in history, myth, and a certain "rural noir" mystery.

• The Metaphysical Landscape: The book emphasizes the relationship between the Provencal people and their rugged environment—stone bories (huts), wind-swept plateaus, and the haunting presence of the "Black Plague" history that still lingers in the architecture of the old villages.

Visual and Artistic Style

• High-Contrast Noir: Georges Glasberg’s photography is characterized by deep blacks and stark, brilliant whites, capturing the blinding Mediterranean sun and the ink-black shadows it creates. This technique gives the ancient stone textures a tactile, almost skeletal quality.

• The "Still" Life: Many of the images are devoid of people, focusing instead on the "ghosts" of the past. When humans do appear, they are often portrayed as inseparable from the landscape—weathered, stoic, and timeless.