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Pre-Order
Anthony Bourdain, Filmmaker
Todd Kennedy
(Pre-Order, Signed | Publication Date: October 20, 2026)
"While known as a traveler and cook, Anthony Bourdain was above all a singular storyteller who drew on his passion for film to create a body of work that remains essential and surprising. Todd Kennedy has written a rich, entertaining, and deeply researched account that properly puts Bourdain in the company of the filmmakers he idolized while giving us a much fuller understanding of the man and his work. This is essential reading for fans of Bourdain and film alike." -Ben Rhodes
Placing Bourdain's legacy in cinema—not the kitchen.
Anthony Bourdain is best known as a celebrated chef, author, international traveler, and TV personality. However, this book argues why Bourdain is best understood first and foremost as a filmmaker and that his cinematic legacy is just as relevant. Studying Bourdain's travelogues, documentaries, and food films in the context of film history, film criticism, and cultural studies emphasizes the ways that his work evokes questions of authenticity within documentary filmmaking, reimagines ethnographic filmmaking as a practice, and deconstructs the Western male gaze. This book also positions episodes from his television shows, such as Parts Unknown and No Reservations, within and between genres, where Bourdain employed a variety of techniques to tell the passionate and vibrant stories that were so beloved by viewers. In this accessible and detailed account, Bourdain's body of work is reenvisioned as genre-bending and influential in the evolution of documentary film.
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Todd Kennedy is the Toups Endowed Professor of Cultural Studies at Nicholls State University. Kennedy is best known for his teaching and writing on Sofia Coppola and has also published articles on the music of Bob Dylan and the films of Julio Medem, Robert Altman, Ang Lee, and Benh Zeitlin. Kennedy holds a PhD from the University of South Carolina and an MA from New York University.
