Quest for Beauty

The Photographic Journey of Malak of Ottawa

Harvey Sawler, Malak Karsh, Malak Karsh

$170.95 $145.21

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

University of Ottawa Press
17 September 2025

Photography & photographs; Photographs: portraits; Biography: general

Quest for Beauty

The Photographic Journey of Malak of Ottawa, is the authorized biography of the prolific, passionate and tireless Canadian photographer Malak Karsh. Malak's quest takes us from the Karsh family's exodus from Turkey wrought by the 1915 Armenian genocide, to Canada and a storied life filled with colour, beauty and joy.

The brother of Yousuf Karsh, arguably the world's most renowned portrait photographer, Malak of Ottawa spent a lifetime capturing images of Canadians, Canadian industry, Canadian landscapes, seascapes, cities, icons, and daily life, through millions of images.

Key to his success was his relentless pursuit of perfection

every single photograph was the result of a painstaking event, defiant of the elements, and often placing himself at physical risk in order to achieve his artistic objectives.

Central to Quest for Beauty is the Canadian capital City of Ottawa, Canada's distinctive gothic-revival Parliament Buildings, his decades-long association with the Dutch and his obsession with tulips

an untold volume of floral photography that in part redefined Canada's capital city.

By: Harvey Sawler
Illustrated by: Malak Karsh
Photographs by: Malak Karsh
Imprint: University of Ottawa Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 279mm,
ISBN: 9780776644998
ISBN 10: 0776644998
Pages: 275
Publication Date: 17 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Harvey Sawler has written 19 fiction and non-fiction books, covering the spectrum from celebrity, business, and crime to travel and entertainment. He is the former director of marketing and public relations for the Confederation Centre of the Arts, and, in 2014, authored the Centre's 50th anniversary commemorative book, The Centre for All Canadians-Five Decades of Inspiration and Excellence. Over 51 years, he has written hundreds of articles and stories for newspapers, magazines, and digital media forms, and he is a leading Canadian tourism consultant. He lives in Bellevue Cove, Prince Edward Island, with his partner, Charlotte Stewart.He lives in Bellevue Cove, Prince Edward Island, with his partner, Charlotte Stewart.