..."Henri Cartier-Bresson, across the room in an armchair, listens to a Beethoven violin sonata while he sketches. At the other end of the room, his daughter, fresh out of a bath and wrapped in a robe, is seated in front of the television, caught up in Les Muppets Show. Martine is in the kitchen, preparing a light dinner of poached fish. The doorbell rings, Martine greets their guest. Josef Koudelka, at the door.........Koudelka, the 41-years-old Magnum photographer, is young enough to be Cartier-Bresson's son and considered by some to be his protege. The Czech- born photographer has spent many years photographing gypsies in Romania and Czechoslovakia and although Koudelka has been living in Western Europe for over ten years, he still has no fixed address, preferring to stay in a back room in Magnum's Paris office and live out of his knapsack. He offers a sharp contrast to the lifestyle of Cartier-Bresson but the two men feel a mutual respect. Cartier-Bresson seems to take a special delight in Koudelka's spirited sense of adventure and his uninhibited frankness. Koudelka indulges his older friend's share of human foibles, but makes it clear that he does not buy the myth of HCB, the Innocent. "You say you don't want to be a superstar, Henri" chides Koudelka after dinner. "But if we don't treat you like one, you get upset."The master bows with the grace and lese majeste of a samurai before the moment of attack. He denies Koudelka's words. The men raise their voices.Cartier-Bresson refusing to be interrupted. Koudelka persisting in speaking his mind. A reporter's presence only exacerbates the situation. Neither backs down, but suddenly in what appears to have started as a provocative lunge, they clasp each other in a strong bear hug, the ritual manifestation of the male bond of friendship. Just as suddenly the conversation is amiable animated, everyone is laughing again. The host offers another round of spirits, a local eau-de-vie from the vaucluse. It was only the ritual sparring of master and student."(Πηγη : Περιοδικο "American Photographer" - Nοεμβριος 1979 - σελ 66-68)Χρονια Πολλα !