Daniel Merle, a photographer, teacher, and journalist, offers an alternative journey through the history and present of photography. Written over the past 10 years, the texts form a volume of short stories that intertwine life, craft, and art. With sensitivity and knowledge, the author addresses key themes in thinking about photography in nine chapters: new technologies, ethics, vocation, documentary, the family album, criticism, memory, avant-gardes, and even love. Reflections on practice blend with questions about conceptual art, lists and advice, experiences and memories, featuring names ranging from Cézanne to Nan Goldin, Walker Evans to Liliana Maresca. This book accompanies the reader through a field full of questions. "Mala memoria" is not a manual, a technical book, or a photo book; it is a personal map drawn by a sharp gaze that perceives, communicates, and above all, questions.