Description: Robert Capa is acclaimed to this day as "the century's greatest battlefield photographer". Born Endre Erno Friedmann in Budapest in 1913, Capa established his reputation with his images of the Spanish Civil War -- his "dying Spanish soldier", instantly recognizable, is one of the icons of photography's first century. During WWII, Capa was at the height of his powers as a photojournalist, and the images in "Slightly out of Focus" display his genius with the camera. It was Capa who captured many of the defining images of the war -- his photographs of the Normandy landing were the first to reach Americans, and they remain to this day the best imagistic record of D-Day (Steven Spielberg studied them in preparation for the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan).

"Slightly out of Focus" (1947) is Capa's own account of his World War II experiences. Not surprisingly, his effusive, spirited personality shines through the action. It's a terrific piece of writing: funny, germane, and full of interesting insights into just how he got the shot (or, often, how he missed it -- Capa, like all good photojournalists, is always grumbling about the one that got away). Whether crashing on an overcrowded hotel room with John Steinbeck, hosting a few with Hemingway, yearning for his London-based girlfriend "Pinky", or realizing what a fool he was to have volunteered for a hopelessly dangerous mission, it's easy to see why Capa was beloved by all who knew him -- and why his work continues to amaze and inspire.

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