Dancer from the Dance: A Landmark Gay Novel of 1970s New York

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;…

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?!"…

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 .

Holleran is 'old school' gay writer. He can write an excellent gay novel without any graphic sex! The story he tells is everything! Touching sensitive novel of a man called Malone, who comes from wealth and privilege and carves out a niche for himself as a successful, hardworking lawyer. His work is everything but leaves him empty and alone. Then one summer, our lonely virgin, Malone, helps a gardener every day after work...and enjoys it. Why then is Malone tearful and mournful when the gardener leaves? He has an epiphany!! He is gay! This beautiful untouched man decides to experience gay life and gay men. He quits everything and moves to New York. Malone, (the man who doesn't know how beautiful he is), is an enigma in New York...polite,gay, beautiful,sweet,hot and nice to everyone. Holleran has a wonderful literary gift of putting out phrases that can sum up the feelings of gay men in terms that are easy to understand. eg."Remember that the vast majority of homosexuals are looking for a superman to love and find it very difficult to love anyone merely human, which we unfortunately happen to be." "The point is that we are not doomed because we are homosexual, we are doomed only if we live in despair because of it.." He describes the life of gays in New York and their favorites haunts where they were happiest..Fire Island in the summer, the Everard Baths, the discoteques before they were discovered, the endless round of parties that you could never go to until at…

In reading this book I was reminded of what it must have been like in those ancient Roman Orgies. It's an ok book. For anyone interested in learning a bit more about the history of the queer community (LGBT community) in the United States, then this book should be on your road map to read. This book is important in understanding how the queer community was in mostly New York City in the 1970's. This book also illustrates how the queer community has changed, in the US, to what it is today. An important book, but it seems to be a book more about lust and sex, not love. But perhaps that was the point of the book.