kfw Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Toni Bentley's "Winter Season," a diary of a season with NYCB, has been reissued, and with a new introduction in which she describes telling Balanchine about the book, and his reaction after reading it. She also includes a fascinating letter from Lincoln Kirstein in which he describes Balanchine's dances as having a sacramental function. Link to comment
BW Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Who has reissued it and where is it available? I checked Amazon and they only show used versions available. Link to comment
kfw Posted October 30, 2003 Author Share Posted October 30, 2003 BW it's been reprinted by the University Press of Florida, September 2003. It is, ahem, available at a site where purchases do not support Ballet Talk, but I assume Amazon will have it soon. The price, by the way, is a ridiculous 22 bucks, so it's worth buying from an online discounter like the one in the upper righthand corner of the screen whom I'm assuming will have it soon. Link to comment
Farrell Fan Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 The University Press of Florida is the best thing that's happened to bibliophile ballet lovers in a long time. Toni Bentley's book certainly deserves to be reissued. And in 2002, Florida also reissued Susanne Farrell's book (written with Toni Bentley). But even more important in 2002, they published, in a splendid hardcover first edition, Alexandra's great biography of Henning Kronstam. Bravi! Link to comment
Funny Face Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 What year was this written? I remember reading it some years ago when I checked it out from the library. Link to comment
BW Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Thanks kfw and Farrell Fan. B) Link to comment
Ari Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 It was written during the 1979-80 or 1980-81 winter season and published about a year later. A lovely book. Link to comment
dirac Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Yes, although there are a number of passages I can only describe as, well, mushy. Fortunately, they're outnumbered by the good stuff. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I haven't read this since it came out, but I remember being fascinated by it, because there are very few books that deal with people who aren't stars, and she was so honest about her career. I remember a sentence "Then my ambitions were put on a diet, like the rest of me." I think this is probably very much Real Life for 95% of the ballet dancers in this country. Link to comment
Funny Face Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Eureka, I got it today! My schedule has been such that I haven't taken a walk into the French Quarter in several years, even though it's a stone's throw from my office, but today the weather was so beautiful, I had to take a stroll, and right near where I ate is a fantastic vintage-y used bookstore with a great dance section. It took me about two seconds to find it. $8.00 -- I'm a happy camper. And, by the way, it was written in 1982. It's a short book -- totals 150 pages. I'm going to reread tonight. :rolleyes: Link to comment
Farrell Fan Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 The preface to the new (2003) paperback is alone worth the admittedly hefty paperback price ($21.95) for this slim volume. It's dedicated to the late Anne Freedgood, whom I had the privilege of being acquainted with. She was a literary editor who was devoted to ballet and to Balanchine, and to Suzanne and to Toni, whose books she edited. Anne is yet another in the ever-increasing number of NYCB fans whose presence at the New York State Theater I greatly miss. I wrote the ads for the original hardcover of "Holding on to the Air," and Anne rewarded me with a poster which Suzanne subsequently inscribed. I look forward, now that I've tearfully made my way through the preface, to rereading Toni's book. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 When i got my copy of Farrell's book, i noticed the name of Bentley as a cowriter, which prompted me to buy this one. I just finished it, and i must say i sure enjoyed it a lot. After the over tumultuous pages of Kirkland's, Bentley's was a truly sight of relief. It was interesting to see her view of things from the "back row"-(as she self describe her position as a member of the NYCB Corps). Bentley's journey to frustration and back was aparently way quicker and easier than that of Kirkland'-( which seemed to struggle longer and with more pain)- in their respective -(almost endless)-search for identity. Insights at Balanchine, the Company, its members, the Theater, costumes, diets, and everything else were put on paper by Bentley with great detail and sense of humor. Finally, there is the enigmatic story of "Isabella" and "The Duke", which wasn't to hard to descifrate... Nice little book, indeed... Link to comment
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