# The Cameraman

By Matthew Kneale

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-cameraman-ef95e6d3/

Former cinematographer Julius Sewell leaves hospital and joins his family on a drive to a wedding in Rome at Easter 1934. His mother and stepfather favor British Fascists, one sister admires Hitler, and a Communist sister hopes to stop the marriage to an Italian Fascist. Julius has missed the political developments everyone else has opinions about.

## What makes it funny?

These relatives carry their political convictions abroad with all the competence of accident-prone tourists. Their clumsy behavior undercuts their certainty about how the world should be run. Much of the story reaches us through Julius's internal dialogue as he tries to understand the family around him.

### The comedy at work

Julius's unfamiliarity gives readers room to notice what his confident relatives cannot. He is catching up on events; they think they already understand them. The gap lets Kneale expose the absurdity of their convictions as the trip moves through Fascist Europe.

### Try this if…

Political satire and difficult family holidays meet here. The appeal lies in watching an observer make sense of relatives whose strong beliefs have done little for their judgment or their traveling skills.

### Good to know

Psychiatric hospitalization is part of Julius's history. The journey includes a visit to Dachau, so the tourist mishaps sit beside the reality of Fascism.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary · Historical
- On the shelf: Family comedy
- Kind of humor: Satire
- Format: Novel
- Length: 288 pages
- Audiobook: 6 hr 29 min
- Published: 2023

## A few distinguishing details

- A politically divided British family drives to a Fascist wedding in 1934
- A former cinematographer watches relatives whose political certainty exceeds their competence

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Historical Novel Society review](https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-cameraman)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/the-cameraman)
- Book information: [Audiobook edition](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cameraman-matthew-kneale/1143315699)
- Publisher: [Publisher’s 2024 catalog](https://atlantic-books.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ATL_CAT_Jan%E2%80%93Jun-2024-DIGITAL-VERSION.pdf)
- Book information: [Bibliographic listing](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/matthew-kneale/cameraman.htm)