The result of this obsession is a book, yes, but it's a book with hardly any photos. Dunlop, however, is not about to give us what we expect.

We would expect that a photographer who was obsessed with Cambodia would give us a book full of photos. For me, Cambodia had become shorthand for all that was wrong with the world.' At the same time, I began to take an interest in photography and documentary films about the conflict. I would sometimes sneak off to see it on my own for fear of ridicule by my peers, as though I was sliding off to watch porn in Soho. 'When the film The Killing Fields appeared I must have watched it at least fifteen times at various London cinemas. An article in National Geographic in the early Eighties triggered a fascination with Cambodia.

Nic Dunlop lacked neither talent nor dedication. Lack of talent and lack of dedication held me back. I wrote a few articles, sold a few photos, donated pictures to a few NGOs. I wanted to take photos that would make a difference. I wanted to write about human rights and history, and things that mattered. Once upon a time, I toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in photojournalism. one small, single, solitary thing.īy the end of this book, however, Dunlop has learned this lesson as well. There's one small thing that I understood before Dunlop did. If The Lost Executioner is any indication, Dunlop is smarter, more courageous, and more talented than I am in every way.Įvery way, except one. My dislike of Dunlop is rooted entirely in petty jealousy.Įven his Pringles anecdote is better than mine.

Nic Dunlop has done all the things I dreamed of doing, and he did them far better than I could have done them. Nic Dunlop talked about his book, The Lost Executioner: A Journey to the Heart of the Killing Fields, published by Walker and Company.That reflects poorly on me, of course, and not on Dunlop. The event was co-sponsored by Stacey’s Independent Books. Dunlop also showed slides from his series of trips to Cambodia and responded to audience members' questions. He described his attempts to discover how a well-educated schoolteacher became commandant of a torture center and a participant in the deaths of an estimated 20,000 political prisoners. He focused on Comrade Duch, head of the Khmer Rouge secret police and Pol Pot’s chief executioner, who had been missing until 1999.

A native of Ireland, he made many trips to Cambodia to examine the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime, which was responsible for the death of some two million people between 19. T08:01:28-04:00 Nic Dunlop talked about his book, The Lost Executioner: A Journey to the Heart of the Killing Fields, published by Walker and Company.

The Lost Executioner by Nic Dunlop