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David Denby
Denby in 2016
Denby in 2016
Born 1943 (age 81–82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation Film critic, journalist
Alma mater Columbia University (BA, MA)
Spouse
  • Cathleen Schine
    (m. 1981; div. 2000)
  • Susan Rieger
    (m. 2004)
Children 2

David Denby (born in 1943) is an American journalist. He is well-known for being a film critic. For many years, he wrote about movies for The New Yorker magazine. He stopped being their main film critic in December 2014.

Early Life and School

David Denby grew up in New York City. He went to Columbia University. He earned a bachelor's degree there in 1965. The next year, in 1966, he got a master's degree from Columbia's journalism school.

His Career

Writing About Movies

Denby started writing about films when he was a student at Stanford University. In the early 1970s, he admired the film critic Pauline Kael. He wrote for several magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly and New York.

He joined The New Yorker magazine in 1993. By 1998, he became a staff writer and film critic. He shared the film critic job with Anthony Lane. They would take turns writing reviews each week.

In 2012, Denby took part in a special poll. This was the Sight & Sound critics' poll. He shared his ten favorite movies of all time. These films were: L'Avventura, Citizen Kane, The Godfather Part II, Journey to Italy, The Life of Oharu, The Rules of the Game, Seven Samurai, Sunrise, The Tree of Life, and Vertigo.

In 2015, David Denby stepped down as the main film critic for The New Yorker. However, he continued to work for the magazine as a staff writer.

Books He Wrote

Denby at Berkeley
Denby speaking at the Berkeley School of Journalism, 2009

David Denby has written several books. His book Great Books came out in 1996. It tells the story of his experience with the Core Curriculum at Columbia University. This program focuses on important classic books and ideas.

The writer Joyce Carol Oates called Great Books "a lively adventure of the mind." She said it showed great excitement for learning. The book became a New York Times bestseller. It has been published in 13 different languages around the world.

In 2004, Denby published American Sucker. This book is a memoir, which means it tells a story from his own life. It talks about his experiences with investing in the stock market. He also wrote about changes in his personal life.

His 2009 book, Snark, looks at how sarcasm is used in public speech and on the internet. He explores how this type of humor can sometimes be harsh.

In 2012, Denby put together his best film reviews and essays. This collection was published as Do the Movies Have a Future?.

His book Lit Up was published in 2016. It is like an earlier story to Great Books. It shows how reading and teaching can help high school students become lifelong readers. USA Today described it as a "hopeful book about adolescence."

David Denby is married to the novelist Susan Rieger. She is also a writer.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: David Denby para niños

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