Marshall McLuhan

Karsh, Yousuf, 1908-2002 · 1974

No collection of faces of our time would be complete without the guru of the electronic age, for over a decade the most talked about academic figure in North America. Marshall McLuhan's name became, in the 1960s, if not a household word, certainly a cocktail party cliché, even spawning a popular adjective, "McLuhan-esque' to describe similarities to his theories, or, alternatively, his manner of expression.. We had arranged to meet in his book-filled office in one corner of the University of Toronto campus, where he has been professor of English for many years. For hours he talked almost continuously, interestingly, quotably; it was absolutely fascinating, but at the end of it I was exhausted, and suggested we wait for photography until the next day. Yet engaging as are his mind and personality, I can remember little of what he said then. We have since had other good long walks and talks together, at Toronto and at Fordham University where he held the Albert Schweitzer chair for a year. Nevertheless, I must admit regretfully that the more I found myself with him, the less I have retained from his philosophy. At our second meeting, I announced: 'Photography first, then talk' (Karsh, 1976).