- Welcome to the Folio Club, the online home of Robert Pranzatelli's writing and related literary endeavors. I'm a writer of fiction, poems, and nonfiction, and the author of a critically acclaimed book about the dance theatre company Pilobolus. A number of my essays have been published by the Paris Review and other literary journals. I'm also the founder of the indie publishing project The Folio Club, for which this site is named, and I'm a longtime staff member of Yale University Press.
- -----Truman Capote at 100"Then one day I started writing, not knowing that I had chained myself for life to a noble but merciless master."To my mind, no one has ever quite matched Truman Capote's way with a sentence. I'm delighted and honored that the Library of America chose to mark the centennial of Capote's birth with a new iteration of my essay in appreciation of his work. You can read it HERE.-----The Virtual Memories Show - Episode 594Gil Roth interviews me in his long-running, long-form podcast The Virtual Memories Show, in a conversation that focuses on my book Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life but also ranges over my life as a writer, my literary and artistic influences, and my life in publishing. I love the way it turned out, and I recommend it.You can find it HERE and also on all the podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, etc.) as well as YouTube.-----Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life
For more than fifty years, the brilliant dance theatre company Pilobolus has elicited extraordinary interest from arts writers, critics, and journalists, but its full story has never been told until now.Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life is a dynamic, independently written, behind-the-scenes account of how Pilobolus has helped redefine, remix, and rejuvenate the essence of dance. Written with unprecedented access and featuring both classic and never-before-seen photos, the book offers revelatory details about the company, from its counterculture origins through its pop-culture triumphs and contemporary global acclaim, with insights into the creation of its most significant works. It's a narrative of life and art, and the vitality that infuses and inspires both when they align and inhabit each other.Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life is published by University Press of Florida. The cover features an image by the great longtime Pilobolus photographer John Kane."Perceptive and insightful . . . An important contribution to modern American dance history."—Carolyn Mulac, Booklist"[Pranzatelli] captures the changes the troupe has undergone in the 50 years between its beginning as a countercultural phenomenon and its current state as an established part of dance history. . . . He shows us how dances come together. His keen analysis of such works as 'Day Two' and 'Gnomen' helps us see more deeply into their beauty, fostering a new appreciation for this pathbreaking company."—John Check, Wall Street Journal"Pranzatelli gives behind-the-scenes insight into both the art-making process and the often-grueling business of running a dance company . . . [His] vivid descriptions of the group's canonical pieces will have readers running to find videos to see the magic for themselves."—Shannon Titas, Library Journal"Pranzatelli navigates us through the insouciance and absurdity of Pilobolus' past, which turns out to be very much about its future—delving into the possibilities of dance theatre."—Robert Steven Mack, Arts Fuse
- "Sometimes when you explain how a magic trick works, it kills the amazement. This book proves the opposite. When Pranzatelli takes you backstage, he leads you Dante-like through the Inferno/mystery of Pilobolus. And you will—as I do—love, love, love these people who fearlessly flex their hearts with their muscles, and fill their stage with beauty, humor, sex, and joy."
—Teller (of Penn & Teller), magician and director
"What a joyful, engaging chronicle of creativity. With skillful prose and miles of heart, Pranzatelli captures the wit, sensuality, and daring of Pilobolus, the group that blew up dance theatre and keeps making discoveries after more than 50 years."
—Sarah L. Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic,
author of The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life
-----
My Semi-Secret Life as a Writer of Fiction
This fabulous drawing by the artist Onsmith is featured, in two variations (one with green background and the other blue), on my pair of privately printed books Self-Creation and the Influence of Dreams (a collection of stories) and Envoy in Blue (a novel). I will have more to say about these two books in the future, but for now anyone who wants to sample my fiction can do so using the links below or by checking out my e-book String Quartet, which is available from most online booksellers.
Short stories available to read here:
- The Triumph of Comedy (on Oscar Wilde)
-----
Image by Onsmith.
No comments:
Post a Comment