Dancer from the Dance: A Novel Paperback – December 18, 2001

I first saw "Dancer from the Dance" at a bookstore in a mall in Modesto California, an agricultural town in the heart of California's big valley. The cover had a blonde man wearing jeans, and a smile; he was shirtless. I remember being nervous, yet excited by the prospect that this might actually be about gay people; I was 21 years old, and there were few if any gay men I wanted to emulate, it was 1979. I was searching for my people, a way of life, a path to take: I realized that I wasn't alone. I was a bit self-conscious at my boldness as I placed the book on the counter, but the cashier was nonplussed. As I read, I entered a world that was completely foreign to me, and although I didn't aspire to be any of the characters in the novel, I wanted a life vastly different than the one I had, and I was shown that I had not only options but 'family' waiting for me. I have read 'Dancer' so many times that I have lost count. I would purchase the book and then give it to others to read. Holleran's prose is astonishingly gorgeous; perhaps the best in American writing. He has an eye for detail, an open heart and a wit to match his writing talent; NOBODY writes better: they may write differently but not better. His prose is hypnotic, and one is held prisoner by it so much so that it haunts the reader, even after one puts the book down. He recites a tale, and through his descriptive expertise, we are able to feel it, imagine it, acquiesce to it, and live it right along with him; "Dancer" is a living, breathing work; age only makes it better. It is graphic, it is unsparing, it is timeless: Dancers leave the floor, but new ones appear and this still goes on long after the 70's, long after the initial horrors of A.I.D.S., long after a fashion from that time has gone, replaced by something trendy. What isn't trendy is the human heart, and the need to love and be loved in return; desire, passion, longing, disappointment, inadequacy, and spirit still define humanity. In "Dancer", Andrew takes us to New York City in the 1970's, and we are able to feel it's pulse, and smell it's garbage and be exhilarated by the dreams and ambitions of the people who populated it then, and do so now. I have read all his books, many of his essays and adore his short stories, as well; I just checked out "Nights in Aruba" today at the library, to read again. Andrew is my favorite writer and after spending so many decades with him, rereading his work feels like a visit with a dear friend.

A epic gay novel of two NYC gay men exchanging letters about a sexy, handsome & desirable young man who is lost because of his desire. When I see a young blood gay man who complains about our gay culture in the year 2024 this is the book I recommend they read to understand our gay culture and how we got here to 2024. This is the first gay novel I read in my room in St Paul, Mn after my first NYC NWA FA BF threw me out because I was a hot mess of a child not ready for big life in the gay world. This novel by Andrew Holleran is our history of desire and all the emotions that young gay folk go through to find true love and gay family. I personally never liked gay culture when I was younger because my family never gave me the tools to survive in the big city and they the gay culture throws away damaged kids after they have used them. USA gays young folk are taught so many unrealistic value and they gay culture tends to eat our young gay fold when they make mistakes. Instead of taking in our gay kids into our gay families and healing them from the damage their blood families did to them by trying to hide their gayness or their fabulousness .

I read this once before years ago as a younger man. It captured my imagination and made NYC very alluring to me. It vividly describes gay male life in the era just before disco became a national sensation and gay lib was about to show some real muscle. I like the writing, although there were details in the action that sometimes defied belief, particularly regarding the tragi-comedic character Sutherland. Neither of the major characters in the book are gainfully employed, at least in a traditional sense. Made me wonder how Sutherland survived and was able to be such a socialite and pull off so many outlandish (and expensive?) fetes. I enjoyed Sutherland's character but was somewhat more baffled by Malone. I wanted to see him as the romantic innocent he was presented as being. He is described as having all the things homosexuals most value: handsome face, great body, impressive endowment, yet he seemed to trivialize sex to an extraordinary degree and then wax melancholic over not having found his soul mate. He supposedly is seeking love and romance, but he seemed magnetized to a rather seedy style of sexuality that even included his becoming an escort. He also seemed prone to a variety of romanticized or bizarre fantasies about his own place in this world. Instead of pursuing any of these callings he is drawn into a rather seedy style of sexual behavior. My only remaining thought about Malone after reading this novel for the second time was "Wow, was he screwed up or what?!" I do feel like I have met men like Malone, the superficial charmers. Sutherland was the druggie, but it was Malone who actually needed drugs. Fascinating book; I have read Holleran's others as well and am a long time fan of his writing.

Probably the bed gay novel that I have read. The characters are brilliantly drawn and their lives are believable and bittersweet.

The author keeps repeating the same story, with the same characters. After a while, this book looks like a broken record...L'auteur tourne en rond avec la même histoire et les mêmes personnages. Après quelques pages, cela ressemble à un disque rayé...

I first read this novel way way back when I was a teenager, and it affected me deeply then. I came across the book on Amazon by accident and just had to buy it. I wasn't disappointed when I reread the novel. The characters are so well written, New York especially is a joy to read about, the whole lifestyle of gay men [mostly] in that period of time is fascinating. Funny, and at times incredibly sad, this is a book that has stood the test of time, and I am so glad that I found it again. It is going on my next holiday with me for another read [when ever this rotten pandemic allows a holiday lol] Recommended to any reader with an interest in gay fiction, it is a great example of [at this stage] vintage writing.

El libro está muy bien y es muy entretenido, y si lo haces para practicar inglés y no perder el nivel, está muy bien. Sólo con la portada te lo puedes leer en la playa.

A highly courageous work of its day, dealing with gay life and affairs in a still deeply hostile and ignorant society at the time. To UK (and other foreign) readers, its setting is difficult to imagine, since this is in New York and close by, although the author himself is UK born. To a point, its theme is familiar in other ways, the need to remain secret in society and the gradual death of a number of characters, (AIDS). At least this realistic for its time, not the thematic death of anyone gay (see Death in Venice for a particularly absurd version of this) If this gay material is to your taste, follow Holleran's writing, later work in particular.