DENBY, Edwin
That Still Moment

After starting his career as a dancer in Germany, Edwin Denby moved to Manhattan, where he formed friendships with prominent members of the New York School, including Frank O’Hara and John Ashbery, and artists such as Rudy Burckhardt. In his critical writing, he brought his experience as a dancer to the page along with a poet’s sensibility, distinguishing himself as an authority through delicate observation and illustrative prose. This collection of writings highlights Denby’s interdisciplinary scope and range of expression, as well as his sharp, singular voice and empirical sensibility toward all works of art.

That Still Moment pairs Denby’s landmark essays on dance criticism and portraits of major performers, such as Vaslav Nijinsky, with selections of his poetry that are long out of print. The writer and editor Cal Revely-Calder further contextualizes Denby’s life and work in his insightful introduction. [publisher's note]

Published by David Zwirner Books, 2024
Essays / Poetry / Dance