02/27/2023

Former Village Voice dance critic Jowitt (Jerome Robbins) delivers a rigorous, authoritative biography of legendary 20th-century dancer/choreographer Martha Graham (1894–1991). After a brief overview of Graham’s Presbyterian upbringing in Allegheny, Pa., Jowitt jumps into Graham’s early days as a dancer in California and New York and describes the “ferocious intensity” beneath her demure presentation. The author dismisses her subject’s early work as tawdry fluff in the Orientalist style popular at the time (she highlights a wince-inducing early review boasting that Graham “can be more Indian than a native”), but suggests the passion and precision of those pieces laid the foundation for Graham’s eventual artistic blossoming. “In relation to the work she made for herself and her company of women,” Jowitt writes about the maturation of Graham’s solo practice, “she was appropriating the right to strength and assertiveness in her art and to a seriousness that brooked no condescension.” Jowitt’s speculations on how Graham “must have” felt raises questions about the veracity of those insights, but the breadth of research on Graham’s credits and creations—a laundry list of productions are conjured in eye-popping detail—wins out in the end. Fans will thrill to this comprehensive account of Graham’s boundary-breaking work. (Aug.)

Errand into the Maze is . . . a study in balance and grace . . . Jowitt excels at describing, minutely, the work—restoring to readers the novelty of Graham’s now-ingrained concepts; her conviction and distinct style . . . A distinguished biography: its description rich, its author’s rigor unquestionable.”
—Alexandra Jacobs, The New York Times Book Review

“Kaleidoscopic . . . An ‘errand’ into the mind of an artist . . . [and] also an errand into the craft of criticism, which Jowitt has practiced for well over half a century. It’s a brilliant capstone to Jowitt’s long career, and a tribute to the indomitable artist who inspired such sustained attention.”
—Elizabeth Zimmer, The Village Voice

“[An] astute biography . . . of the major figures of twentieth-century modernism . . . Jowitt focuses on how Graham approached her work—as a performer, a choreographer, and a teacher—with a philosophical rigor that expanded the expressive possibilities of movement and established a uniquely American idiom.”
—The New Yorker

“Martha Graham is one of the most incredible artists that America has ever produced . . . Deborah Jowitt has [an] amazing sense on the page . . . of Martha Graham’s idiosyncratic and revolutionary ideas about movement . . . An amazing woman and an amazing life.”
—Bill Goldstein, Weekend Today in New York

“In [Errand into the Maze] the iconic dancer and choreographer is made new, and radical, again . . . A complete delight to read . . . The convergence of these two dance champions, Graham and Jowitt, is so special as to make this book nothing less than a fully realized gift.”
—Candice Thompson, Fjord Review

“As Deborah Jowitt describes [in Errand into the Maze] . . . [Graham] set worlds afire and built them anew from the ashes . . . Insightful.”
—Sarah L. Kaufman, Wall Street Journal

“Majestically reported . . . So many books about dancers shy away from writing about dance itself. Jowitt’s makes dance the subject . . . Errand into the Maze . . . illuminates Graham, and yields the kind of deep inquiry around which one could develop an entire course.”
—Mindy Aloff, Liber Review

“Gently magisterial and written with compelling fluency, Deborah Jowitt’s Errand into the Maze is piercingly insightful about both the creativity and personal life of the choreographer Martha Graham. Even if you watched Graham’s dances when she was living, you often meet her as if for the first time in these pages.”
—Alastair Macaulay, former chief dance critic at The New York Times

“A meticulous and serious chronicle of Graham’s oeuvre, described in almost forensic detail . . . Deborah Jowitt’s book is an honorable tribute to its subject and a valuable record of her history.”
—Rupert Christansen, The New Criterion

“[A] robust [portrait] . . . [of Graham’s] artistic innovations.”
—Juliana DeVaan, The Drift

“As Deborah Jowitt, a critic and former dancer, shows . . . Graham helped ‘dignify’ dance and elevate it from entertainment to art.”
—The Economist

“[A] stunning portrait of the doyenne of modern dance.”
—Jerome Charyn, The American Scholar

“[A] portrait of a modern dance icon. Veteran dance critic [Deborah] Jowitt offers an authoritative, sensitive biography . . . Prodigious research informs an insightful [work].”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Deborah Jowitt lays the groundwork for [Graham’s] revolutionary techniques and methods that reconfigured modern American dance . . . [Errand into the Maze] brings to light Graham’s artistic vision as well as personal experiences that linked her life and work.”
—Art in America

“Built on years of research, [Errand into the Maze] paints a well-informed portrait of the iconic artist, infused with anecdotes from Graham’s life and bolstered by Jowitt’s own expertise from years as a dancer, choreographer, and writer.”
—Sophie Bress, Dance Magazine

“A rigorous, authoritative biography of [a legend] . . . Fans will thrill to this comprehensive account of Graham’s boundary-breaking work.”
—Publishers Weekly

“As a dancer and choreographer herself, and as a revered chronicler of the ethos of dance for over six decades, Deborah Jowitt takes us into the life and art of Martha Graham from an unmatchable perspective. Jowitt’s embodied understanding of Graham’s radical movement vocabulary, coupled with her deep and inimitable knowledge of the art form, offers us eye-opening access to the mysteries of the Graham legacy. This lyrical, readable biography brings to life the personal journey of a genius destined to revolutionize American art in the twentieth century and invites us inside the ephemeral masterpieces with which she changed the world.”
—Janet Eilber, artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company

This rigorous biography excels at describing the flamboyant choreographer’s work and distinct style. About the messy life between performances, Jowitt is comparatively mild.”

A well-informed portrait of the iconic artist, infused with anecdotes from Graham’s life and bolstered by Jowitt’s own expertise from years as a dancer, choreographer, and writer.”

Gently magisterial and written with compelling fluency…Even if you watched Graham’s dances when she was living, you often meet her as if for the first time in these pages.”

Renowned VILLAGE VOICE dance critic Deborah Jowitt has written an informative biography of the legendary modern dance choreographer, performer, and teacher Martha Graham. Erin Bennett delivers a sophisticated yet relaxed performance of the text. Three cheers for an enchanting effort so well matched to the book at hand. Bennett's tone and intonation are solid--in all respects her narration suits the wild yet graceful evolution of Graham's life. The period after Graham's initial departure from the stage is carefully explored, including her depression and alcohol abuse. Happily, her successful return to both stage and teaching lasted until her death from pneumonia at age 96. The artistry and influence of Graham's career are matched by an entirely professional narration. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

★ 2023-05-31
Portrait of a modern dance icon.

Veteran dance critic Jowitt offers an authoritative, sensitive biography of the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (1894-1991), who created more than 100 works and danced in most of them during a critically acclaimed career. In 1916, she enrolled at Denishawn, the school founded by Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, who became important artistic influences. Within a few years, she was teaching dance. In 1923, she debuted on Broadway in The Greenwich Village Follies, and in 1926, she made her debut as the choreographer of her own company. Intellectually voracious, ambitious, and determined, “Graham at thirty-two,” Jowitt writes, “manifested the focused energy of a tiger stalking a potential meal.” That energy infused her dancing, which was stripped of what she called “decorative non-essentials.” “All her movements,” Jowitt notes, “pulsating on her strong legs, twisting against her stance, recoiling, thrusting—took place between her shoulders and her knees.” The author chronicles the evolution of Graham’s work; the literary, cultural, and musical sources that inspired her; critics’ responses; and personal dramas. She had a long relationship with pianist and composer Louis Horst, who served as the music director of her company; her affair with Erick Hawkins, 15 years her junior, led to a short-lived marriage. To her students, she could be “both inspiring and a terror,” as demanding of them as she was of herself. By the 1960s, she choreographed dance works without demonstrating steps; she “reluctantly retired as a performer in 1970.” Resisting aging as long as she could, she underwent several facial surgeries and turned to alcohol. “She recovered from alcoholism, relapsed, was hospitalized, and recovered again,” Jowitt reveals. “But only temporarily.” Graham carefully honed a striking image: “thin, plain, gaunt, unadorned,” a journalist for Mademoiselle wrote in 1937. “She looks like a New England school teacher come to town on a limited dress and food budget.”

Prodigious research informs an insightful biography.