Errand Into the Maze: The Life and Works of Martha Graham
A study in balance and grace ... Jowitt excels at describing, minutely, the work ... A definitive biography of this woman who lived until 96 and spoke in epigrams, undulations and billowing fabric might be impossible to contain between one set of covers, but Errand Into the Maze is a distinguished biography: its description rich, its author’s rigor unquestionable.
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[Jowitt] is at her best in Errand Into the Maze when she allows herself to veer from her timeline and comment on the meaning of Graham.
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Given her status as an artist and cultural figure, it is disappointing to read a biography of her that, despite its thorough documentation of her works, and its appreciation of her artistry and staying power, is lifeless. It reads more like a catalog or a collection of program notes than as a portrait of a remarkable woman ... The fault lies in Deborah Jowitt’s narrative method. The book is strictly chronological and focuses on Graham’s work to the neglect of her personal life and its relationship to her art. Graham’s works are chronicled in painstaking detail according to a predictable pattern.
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