Nikos Papastergiadis: a note on John Berger and Me
Nikos Papastergiadis reflects on his new memoir, John Berger and Me, a memoir to the great English writer, poet and painter, and a tribute to an individual who was mentor, father figure and friend to the author.
John Berger was an artist, critic, novelist, playwright, essayist, film script writer, and actor. He was brilliant with words. He struggled passionately while he drew. When he was a presenter on television, he was utterly compelling and mesmerising. But it was uncomfortable watching him trying to inhabit other characters in films.
John lived in a peasant village in the French Alps.
His essays on art and politics and his stories on migrants and peasants hit me to the core of my being. Thirty years ago, I wrote my doctoral dissertation at Cambridge on the theme of exile in his writing. We met just as I was completing my conclusion.
A year later he rang: ‘Nikos, I had a little accident on my motorbike, and we might need some help to bring in the hay this summer. Can you come and stay?’
That was the beginning of an annual pilgrimage from Manchester to his village. When I arrived on my motorbike he would hug and dance with me like a big bear.
The kitchen was also a studio and an office. The outlines of portraits and drafts of novels were tested there. I witnessed earth shuddering phone calls with film producers and visits by artists and neighbours. The delight for hospitality in John’s eyes was a joy to behold. However, I also craved to steal him for myself.
In the morning, we would go to a local market. Later, we would help with the haymaking and do some repairs around the house. In the evenings we would cook and share stories. When he listened all the mountains were silent behind him.
After the cows were back in the barn I would look up at the stars and wonder if my father would have enjoyed such nights. This book reflects my time with John and seeks to explore the parallels with my own father, who was also called John.
John Berger left London after winning the Booker Prize. He went to find solidarity and comfort with the last generation of peasants in France. My father was a peasant and sought to find freedom and progress for his children. He became a factory worker in Melbourne. Through these two men I saw my life as a journey on a helix curve.
John Berger and Me began as a talk on friendship at the Greek Centre and unfolded into a reverie about the traces left by others. I feel as if I have been talking to John all my adult life. He has been a touchstone to all my thoughts. It still aches whenever I go into a bookshop and realise that there is no new book by John.
— Nikos Papstergiadis, May 2024
