Book Launch Invitation: Quest for Beauty

Date: Friday, May 8, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa
Address: Commissioners Park, Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa, ON
Registration: Admission is free, but registration is recommended.

The University of Ottawa Press and the Canadian Tulip Festival are pleased to invite you to the launch of Quest for Beauty, The Photographic Journey of Malak of Ottawa, by Harvey Sawler.

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.

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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.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

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Host or Publisher University of Ottawa Press (PUO-UOP)