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David Denby (film critic)
Encyclopedia
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker
magazine.
from Columbia University
in 1965, and a masters from its journalism school in 1966.
Department of Communication. He began his professional life in the early 1970s as an adherent of the film critic Pauline Kael
—one of a group of film writers informally, and sometimes derisively, known as "the Paulettes." Denby wrote for The Atlantic and New York
before arriving at The New Yorker in the middle 1990s; at present, Denby splits his film duties with Anthony Lane
, trading off week-by-week. The schedule allows both writers to explore a broad range of critical topics in the body of the magazine.
In 2004, Denby contributed $1,250 to John Kerry
.
account of the Western canon
-oriented Core Curriculum at his alma mater, Columbia University
. Denby reenrolled after three decades, and the book operates as a kind of double portrait, as well as a sort of great-thinkers brush-up. In The New York Times
, the writer
Joyce Carol Oates
called the book "a lively adventure of the mind," filled with "unqualified enthusiasm."Great Books was a New York Times bestseller. In The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century, Peter Watson called "Great Books," the "most original response to the culture wars." The book has been published in 13 foreign editions.
In 2004, Denby published American Sucker, a memoir which details his investment misadventures in the dot-com stock market bubble
, along with his own bust years as a divorcée from writer Cathleen Schine
, leading to a major reassessment of his life. Allan Sloan in the New York Times called the author "formidably smart," while noting this paradox: "Mr. Denby is even smart enough to realize how paradoxical it is that he not only has a good, prestigious job, but that he is also in a position to make money by relating how he lost money in the stock market."
Snark, Denby's latest book, is a polemical dissection of public speech. He criticizes, among others, the political blog Wonkette
. Wonkette responded to Denby's criticism by noting some serious factual errors in his account of the blog's work. Wonkette called out this passage in particular, a reference to a Wonkette post about Chelsea Clinton
.
The post in question was written by one of Wonkette's two male editors (a third is female), and is clearly bylined as such. The Wonkette blog noted that Denby's incorrect assumption that the post was driven by female jealousy and fury could be seen as sexist, as well as an indication of a lack of basic research or fact-checking. Adam Sternbergh panned the book in a New York
magazine review, calling snark "necessary, for reasons that Denby either ignores or fails to comprehend." Sternbergh's review led to a lengthy defense of Denby's book from writer Edward Champion.
Defiance and Abdellatif Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain. Reviews Edward F. Cline's
Million Dollar Legs
(1932). Reviews Phil Karlson's
Kansas City Confidential (1952).
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine.
Background and education
Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1965, and a masters from its journalism school in 1966.
Journalism
Denby began writing film criticism while a graduate student at Stanford University'sStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Department of Communication. He began his professional life in the early 1970s as an adherent of the film critic Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career, her work appeared in City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
—one of a group of film writers informally, and sometimes derisively, known as "the Paulettes." Denby wrote for The Atlantic and New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
before arriving at The New Yorker in the middle 1990s; at present, Denby splits his film duties with Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane is a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Personal life:Lane lives in Cambridge with Allison Pearson, a British writer and former Daily Mail columnist...
, trading off week-by-week. The schedule allows both writers to explore a broad range of critical topics in the body of the magazine.
In 2004, Denby contributed $1,250 to John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
Books
Denby's Great Books (1996) is a non-fictionNon-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
account of the Western canon
Western canon
The term Western canon denotes a canon of books and, more broadly, music and art that have been the most important and influential in shaping Western culture. As such, it includes the "greatest works of artistic merit." Such a canon is important to the theory of educational perennialism and the...
-oriented Core Curriculum at his alma mater, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Denby reenrolled after three decades, and the book operates as a kind of double portrait, as well as a sort of great-thinkers brush-up. In The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
called the book "a lively adventure of the mind," filled with "unqualified enthusiasm."Great Books was a New York Times bestseller. In The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century, Peter Watson called "Great Books," the "most original response to the culture wars." The book has been published in 13 foreign editions.
In 2004, Denby published American Sucker, a memoir which details his investment misadventures in the dot-com stock market bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
, along with his own bust years as a divorcée from writer Cathleen Schine
Cathleen Schine
Cathleen Schine is an American author of several novels, including Rameau's Niece .Her first book was Alice in Bed , which was followed by To The Birdhouse , The Love Letter and The Evolution of Jane . The Love Letter was filmed in 1999...
, leading to a major reassessment of his life. Allan Sloan in the New York Times called the author "formidably smart," while noting this paradox: "Mr. Denby is even smart enough to realize how paradoxical it is that he not only has a good, prestigious job, but that he is also in a position to make money by relating how he lost money in the stock market."
Snark, Denby's latest book, is a polemical dissection of public speech. He criticizes, among others, the political blog Wonkette
Wonkette
Wonkette is a left-leaning American online magazine of topical satire and political gossip, established in 2004 by Gawker Media and founding editor Ana Marie Cox, and edited by Ken Layne from 2006 to 2011...
. Wonkette responded to Denby's criticism by noting some serious factual errors in his account of the blog's work. Wonkette called out this passage in particular, a reference to a Wonkette post about Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
.
"But it also sounds like jealousy. Wonkette is written by young women who may have hated Chelsea’s bland words as she went around the country supporting her mother’s candidacy. When a piece of snark doesn’t make sense, some hidden fury may be screwing up the writing."
The post in question was written by one of Wonkette's two male editors (a third is female), and is clearly bylined as such. The Wonkette blog noted that Denby's incorrect assumption that the post was driven by female jealousy and fury could be seen as sexist, as well as an indication of a lack of basic research or fact-checking. Adam Sternbergh panned the book in a New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine review, calling snark "necessary, for reasons that Denby either ignores or fails to comprehend." Sternbergh's review led to a lengthy defense of Denby's book from writer Edward Champion.
Non-fiction
- Great Books, Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
(1996), ISBN 978-0684809755 - Snark: It's Mean, It's Personal, and It's Ruining Our Conversation, Simon & Schuster (2009), ISBN 978-1416599456
Articles
Reviews Edwards Zwick'sEdward Zwick
Edward M. Zwick is an American filmmaker and film producer noted for his epic films about social and racial issues. He has been described as a "throwback to an earlier era, an extremely cerebral director whose movies consistently feature fully rounded characters, difficult moral issues, and plots...
Defiance and Abdellatif Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain. Reviews Edward F. Cline's
Edward F. Cline
Edward Francis Cline was a screenwriter, actor, writer and director. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin and died in Hollywood.-Career:...
Million Dollar Legs
Million Dollar Legs
Million Dollar Legs is an American comedy film, directed by Edward F. Cline and released by Paramount Pictures. It was inspired by the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles.-Cast :*Jack Oakie as Migg Tweeny*W. C...
(1932). Reviews Phil Karlson's
Phil Karlson
Phil Karlson was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s...
Kansas City Confidential (1952).
External links
- David Denby Archive. – New YorkNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
. – (articles from Jan 1998 to Jan 2001). - Transcript of February 25, 2004, online chat with David Denby. – Forbes.com Q&A
- David Denby articles at Byliner