Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina

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Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 1,266 ratings · 103 reviews

When twenty-five-year-old Bob Dylan wrecked his motorcycle near Woodstock in 1966 and dropped out of the public eye, he was already recognized as a genius, a youth idol with an acid wit and a barbwire throat; and Greenwich Village, where he first made his mark, was unquestionably the center of youth culture.

In Positively 4th Street, David Hajdu recounts the emergence of fo...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published April 10th 2002 by North Point Press (first published April 28th 2001)

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Dec 28, 2007 Kirk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sentimental-faves

I picked this up during a time I was really into Farina and was wishing there was a good biography of him and the story behind BEEN DOWN SO LONG IT LOOKS LIKE UP TO ME. It's not many people, after all, who can claim to have gone to college with Thomas Pynchon and C. Michael Curtis and then become a near-brother-in-law to Dylan. The book is strong on the cafe culture of the late 50s and early 60s. Dylan fans will no doubt feel a bit defensive bc Mr. Zimmerman is treated more as a human than a dei...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sixties_history, music

I considered reading Positively 4th Street when it first came out, but never got around to it. I considered reading Hajdu's second book, Lush Life, but never got around to it. But when The Ten-Cent Plague, his third book, was published I couldn't resist, it seemed like it would be such a fun book and it was. So naturally I went and got a copy of this book, the subject of which I was familiar, i.e., the tragic story of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Richard and Mimi Fariña.

I've never been a big fan of Dyl...more I considered reading Positively 4th Street when it first came out, but never got around to it. I considered reading Hajdu's second book, Lush Life, but never got around to it. But when The Ten-Cent Plague, his third book, was published I couldn't resist, it seemed like it would be such a fun book and it was. So naturally I went and got a copy of this book, the subject of which I was familiar, i.e., the tragic story of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Richard and Mimi Fariña.

I've never been a big fan of Dylan or Baez although I have albums of both, which I've always enjoyed. Nor was I fan of Richard Fariña's now cult classic novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Up, which I only got around to reading recently though I bought the book in the early 70s (see my review). Now, his wife on the other hand, Joan's sister Mimi, I recall being enamoured of in my adolescence.

I always thought that Mimi Baez was the most beautiful girl to come of age in the sixties. No other girl at that time, be it Pattie Boyd, Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot or Edie Sedgwick, captured my attention the way she did. I first noticed her on that poster she appeared on with her sisters, the now infamous anti-draft poster "Girls Say Yes to Boys Who Say No." (Hajdu didn't doesn't mention the poster in the book, though, in his defense, it happened after the timeline of the book, I believe)

My family lived in Carmel at the same time as the four of them and we would see Joan and Bob tooling around in her Jaguar XKE, just hair and noses going by too fast for the more conservative townspeople who barely tolerated the beatnik artists and musicians as it was. I don't think Joan ever let Bob drive.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book tremendously. It was well-researched and well-written and is an intriguing story that not just anyone would have thought worth telling, which is true of his other books, as well. And it really is a tragic story of star-crossed lovers, to borrow a Shakespearian phrase. I don't think I'm giving away anything since it's well known how the story ends with two motorcycle accidents, the one in which Fariña is killed and Dylan's, which would so greatly alter the course of his life and music.

Hajdu's hypothesis, which he probably doesn't spend enough time trying to prove, is that these four people had a direct, or in some ways, indirect and subtle, influence on the music and culture of the sixties. Dylan and Baez, definitely, and Fariña with his book, which was the On the Road of the 60s, but also, with the music of the Fariñas. It was they, not Dylan, that first created a fusion of folk and rock. When you listen to Mimi's guitar playing and Richard's dulcimer you realize the influence they must have had over musicians such as Cat Stevens, Eric Burdon and the Byrds.

If you have any interest in 60s culture, the folk scene or folk-rock or in real-life tragic stories, this book is a must. (less)

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Apr 19, 2010 Derek rated it 3 of 5 stars

Obviously, there are more Dylan bios than even the most dedicated fan would have the time to slog through, so David Hajdu's fresh take on the subject puts it somewhere above most of the others. I'm sure there are some readers who picked it up out of an interest in Farina or the Baezes (kudos to all seven of you), but for the most part, I think this is a book mostly meant for Dylan aficionados. What sets the book apart is that Hajdu doesn't necessarily treat Dylan as the focus, and the book is st...more Obviously, there are more Dylan bios than even the most dedicated fan would have the time to slog through, so David Hajdu's fresh take on the subject puts it somewhere above most of the others. I'm sure there are some readers who picked it up out of an interest in Farina or the Baezes (kudos to all seven of you), but for the most part, I think this is a book mostly meant for Dylan aficionados. What sets the book apart is that Hajdu doesn't necessarily treat Dylan as the focus, and the book is strengthened considerably by his approach; we see him better in the context provided by the four other lives chronicled here.

I suppose there are some surprises for Dylan fans who might've assumed he was a poet-saint, but there's not really a lot of new ground broken here if you've already read a Dylan biography or two. Yes, he acted like a little shit when he showed up in New York, creating himself from scratch. Yes, he used who he needed to use and forgot about those people just as quickly, once he found himself in a position of popularity. And yes, much of his time before the motorcycle crash was spent in an amphetamine haze, spewing venom at any target, deservingly or not. But if you knew these well-established facts coming in, the book still functions as a competent, memorable narrative that chronicles one of the most important times in American music. Hajdu treats his subjects fairly and with a considerable energy, and his gift for memorable description makes the book well worth reading. Giving us the stories of Richard Farina and Mimi Baez alongside Dylan, his success never seems so sure; his brilliance never seems as inevitable as it is presented in other accounts.

Points should also be awarded for his fine handling of the Dylan-Goes-Electric-at-Newport myth, where he presents clear facts and first person accounts that credibly serve to demystify the event. The narrative of Richard Farina's and Mimi Baez's lives is also rendered beautifully here (though I admit to my lack of familiarity with their story before I began the book), and he paints Farina and Dylan as interesting contrasts: the vivacious Farina and the sullen Dylan seem, at times, opposites, even though both found themselves moving in such a similar direction. Of course, Dylan is always painted as the inspiration, and probably with good reason. He's been exalted so often (I myself am just as guilty of this as anyone), why stop now?

I'm certainly not the person to objectively say this, but I think the book would be an enjoyable read even if you're not familiar with the genesis of Bob Dylan or the 1960's folk movement. Hajdu approaches his subjects deftly and crafts a convincing and compelling narrative, without feeling like he's ever sensationalizing the story. A fine read all around, and recommended.

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Mar 09, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Detailed, interesting, and gossipy. This deconstructed my heroes. A little bit.

--

"'I lived with her, and I loved the place,' Dylan recalled. 'And, like, I lived with her. Hey, I lived with Joan Baez.'"

"'Dylan was offensive in that he would really be rude to people, and Dick wouldn't be rude to people. But Dick was like 'Look at me -- here I am. Dig me!' Dylan was like, 'Look all you want. You'll never see me.'"

--

From Resilience Science, a review of Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From:...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading Hajdu's joint biography of the Baez sisters Joan and Mimi and their relationships with Richard Farina and Bob Dylan. The background material on the folk scene was also interesting. Given Farina's friendship with Thomas Pynchon -it makes one wish that Dylan and Pynchon had met ( I do not think they ever have) but that would be a narrative well worth reading. Might be a novel there for someone to write.
Dylan dominates in all his eccentric irrascibility. He is probably not the mo...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Terry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed Hajdu's writing so much that I'm interested in reading his other book, even though the actual topic isn't of much interest to me. That's a good endorsement, right? This book was kind of a bummer--neither Joan Baez nor Dylan come across particularly well. Dylan comes across as a cold-hearted opportunist at best, which seems at odds with his political songs, but Hajdu quotes Dylan as saying he didn't even care about the politics--he just wanted to sell records, and those kinds of records...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Denis Farley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hmm, finished on Valentines Day . .. the heros of my youth, although Richard and Mimi were a subtext but certainly grew in stature after this reading. I had been aware of Richard's book but don't believe I read it or can't remember if I did and may have even seen the movie . . . It was it seems well researched and referenced, and quite a few quotes. Easy reading and essentially before my time . . . I mean, it was a good deal of the soundtrack for those years although I had always been eclectic,...more Hmm, finished on Valentines Day . .. the heros of my youth, although Richard and Mimi were a subtext but certainly grew in stature after this reading. I had been aware of Richard's book but don't believe I read it or can't remember if I did and may have even seen the movie . . . It was it seems well researched and referenced, and quite a few quotes. Easy reading and essentially before my time . . . I mean, it was a good deal of the soundtrack for those years although I had always been eclectic, and loved much of pop music, what I heard of jazz, and broadway, show tunes and of course my parent's music. They weren't audio files but we did gather around the TV for movies and there were a lot of women in my family intensely interested in the movies.

The conflicts - folk, rock, bla bla were not a part of my concerns and have only now been trying to discern the issues. Somehow it is shaking out as a sociological issue rather than a musical difference. Dylan as we saw last night at the 2011 Grammy's chose to revive one of the tunes at issue, Maggie's Farm, actually the tune he opened his '65 Newport set with using parts of the Butterfield Blues Band. Even last night, somebody missed a cue and Bob did a few bars in silence before they got his microphone dialed in . . . so the dilemma continues. I could go on about my take on his choices but . . . you know, I don't think anybody cares. Bob had a good time and that's what really matters. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. One of my favorite Bob tunes, and one I know by heart and can perform at a moment's notice, acappela if necessary, and that I believe he did at the '65 Newport is 'It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry'.

But I thought the Joe Boyd's book was terrific until John Sebastian's brother Mark weighed in with some pointed remarks about his veracity, and none too kindly. The Sebastian brothers would probably have had direct business dealings with Joe . . . so it goes. Anyway, enjoyed Positively 4th Street. Now on to Seeger's 'The Incomplete Folksinger'.

Oh, what I did like most about this book was the meticulous research into the origins of the tunes, the traditional melodies and chord structures that they adapted to lyrics or vice versa. Along those lines I can remember Pete Seeger down at the Sloop Club in Beacon, picking up his guitar and strumming through a traditional song that he would mention had just gone out of copyright and entered the Public Domain, free for anyone to adapt to new words and arrangements, melodies, etc. and so forth.(less)

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Dec 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Coming to this book as someone not particularly interested in either Dylan or Baez, I was unexpectedly enthralled by this account of how the folk music scene got its start in the lefty enclaves of Cambridge and Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Given fantastic access by many of the characters in his story, Hajdu deftly reconstructs the period and shows how various individuals' success rested on a combination of luck, talent, personality and political winds -- not necessarily in that order. Perhaps...more

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Jun 09, 2009 micah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nothing could be more natural than a rebellious feeling toward the fussy and bewildered Academy of Dylanology who you'll mostly find in bars in the afternoon. But if you find, like I do, that, despite the blowhard chorus, there is something irresistibly listen-able and watch-able about Bob Dylan's music and behavior then you could do a lot worse than this specific and grounded account.

Hajdu clearly has the bug: he relishes recounting "Bobby's" impish cruelty toward Joan Baez (so will you), but...more

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Apr 14, 2013 James Foster rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nice, even though I grew up in the Sixties I never really knew the depth of the relationship between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and I didn't know anything about her sister and Richard Farina. And come to think of it I had little appreciation of the folk music movement beyond Peter, Paul, and Mary.

And so this is a useful little book that gives you a bit of a feel of these folks and what it was like to be around the emerging folk scenes in New York and Cambridge, Mass. The book closes with Farina's...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Tracy Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had originally bought this book for a college class I was supposed to take. Fate had a weird twist, and the professor died the weekend before the class started. So, I kept this book and the others because I was interested in them. (The class was about the 60's) Now, just about 4 years later, I decided to dust off the cover of this one and give it a whirl.
I enjoyed reading this book partially because I learned a lot about a subject I had never really thought about that much before. I really on...more I had originally bought this book for a college class I was supposed to take. Fate had a weird twist, and the professor died the weekend before the class started. So, I kept this book and the others because I was interested in them. (The class was about the 60's) Now, just about 4 years later, I decided to dust off the cover of this one and give it a whirl.
I enjoyed reading this book partially because I learned a lot about a subject I had never really thought about that much before. I really only knew Bob Dylan by name and a few of his songs, which a few of I do enjoy. I never really thought that much about him, or where he came from. I also learned about 3 other people I never knew about- Joan and Mimi Baez, and Mimi's husband, Richard. I actually do enjoy folk/folk rock music, so I also really enjoyed reading and learning about the people who were at the front of it in the 60's. Without them, we wouldn't have groups that I love like The Decemberist and Mumford and Sons, I think! I also never knew that Bob Dylan loved to play with The Band! (They had a different name then) The music world apparently is a small one, back then, too!
I liked how the book read- a lot of the interviews and comments were taken from radio/tv interviews, letters, and other sources of the media. A lot of the times, I could just picture the people on tv, speaking about the experience they had. I enjoyed that the author did portray it that way- it gave the book a nice flow and made it easy and interesting to read.
I enjoyed reading about Richard Farina the most. He was such a character! Always full of life, energy, stories, and ideas, even though he sounded like a bit of a womanizer. Its a shame he had to die so young in a motorcycle accident- but as the author pointed out- some noted that it was tragic, yes, but almost fitting for such a daring and reckless individual.
The only hindrance I had with this book was that it took me a little longer to read than certain books do. There wasn't any chapters in this book, which I think was a big part of it. The book was easy to read as I said before. Instead of chapters, there were breaks when the subject changed, or the author wanted to take a different direction with a theme. This wasn't a bad thing, it just slowed down my reading a bit. I did enjoy the book very much regardless!!(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Michael (Mike) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a good read. Gives good acknowledgment regarding Woody Guthrie being the originator of Folk along with sub-founder Pete Seeger. Lots of good history regarding the Folk scene of the late 50's and early 60's with all the key players like Seeger, Carolyn Hester, Richard Farina, the Baez sisters, Dylan, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul & Mary, etc. Good thesis on why there was a rise in Folk during that time period.

Unfortunately the story confirms a lot of what I suspected about the Folk scen...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bob Dylan looks like a real asshole in this book. Maybe he was?

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Sep 10, 2008 Cyndi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Man, Joan Baez is fucking irritating.

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Jan 20, 2010 Nicole Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

i devour books on bob dylan and the whole folk movement - especially the times surrounding greenwich village in the 60s. it's really an interesting time and you see that their is so much involved in making the songs come about..the politics, the protests, finding identities, tradition, homage..its so interesting to me. and it really makes the music seem more alive when you can listen and understand more of the context from which it came. would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interest...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Hortense rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being a big Dylan fan I naturally craved this book. Hajdu's got it in for Dylan, full rectal. I had to read it cover to cover. Well, like Dylan said somewhere in an interview "you are always killed by someone who loves you, aren't you?" or words to that effect.

Mimi Farina was quite beautiful, is there a decent biography I wonder. I really loved the several albums I have been able to find, the ones with Farina. All in all I'd say, pack up your sorrows. Give them all to me. You would lose them .....more

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Sep 12, 2012 Dusty Henry rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Hadju was pretty ambitious taking on a four headed biography where each of the subjects could have (and some do) their own books devoted to them. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of Mimi and Richard Farina before this. Despite these things, Hadju pulls it off with an interesting "he-said-she-said" style which reveals the surprising roots of the folk revival.

When I started reading I was a bit concerned, it seemed a bit "Baez-centric." Dylan wasn't even mentioned until something like 60 pag...more David Hadju was pretty ambitious taking on a four headed biography where each of the subjects could have (and some do) their own books devoted to them. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of Mimi and Richard Farina before this. Despite these things, Hadju pulls it off with an interesting "he-said-she-said" style which reveals the surprising roots of the folk revival.

When I started reading I was a bit concerned, it seemed a bit "Baez-centric." Dylan wasn't even mentioned until something like 60 pages in. It was a slow start but once it picked up and the four major characters/subjects had their introductions, the pace went surprisingly better than expected. I found myself getting invested in Farina - contemplating if he was a decent guy or a hack or an opportunist or brilliant (and apparently I wasn't alone in these contemplations). Farina stole the show for me, which seems all to appropriate.

Hadju successfully de-deified Dylan for me. He definitely gets hit the hardest with critiques from his actions and commentary from friends. It doesn't disqualify his brilliance for me, but changes the perspective of "why" I think he's brilliant and taking him with a grain of salt.

Everyone knows that on the Internet 3/5 stars makes it look like you think "this book sucks" - I really wish Goodreads had a decimal option - but I actually really enjoyed this piece. It would have gotten a 4/5 if it hadn't been for a few issues. Mainly how abrupt it finished. I thought it was strange that the book was so short when I started it, but I didn't expect it to end so flat. The artists' later careers are legacies and influence are left as feeling "unimportant" by their conspicuous absence. Hadju's commitment to sources was brilliant and gives "Positively 4th Street" a lot of authority. My only complaint in this regard is the amount of names and people I had to try and keep track of in my head. At time I felt like I was reading Tolstoy or something with all the names and references being thrown around. For someone who doesn't know EVERY detail and all the minor characters of the folk era, it is hard to tell who you should keep track of in your head as being important.

After reading this listening to the music of these musicians will be much different, but more fulfilling. It's made me hungry to read more in depth into each of them. This is a fantastic palette of the rise and fall of the 60s folk scene. (less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

The books timeline was roughly 1960-1966 centering on all four of the names in the title and largely in that order. The book took a unique and intimate approach by way of introduction to the four characters and leading the reader to some logical conclusions about the musicians and music. A lot of material is packed in this book to give you the background and feel for the characters and the scenery and it moves on like a thriller towards the last third of the book. For the most part Hajdu kept a...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another one Nancy Pearl turned me on to. First off, I love Dylan, and anything I read about him is enjoyable. But beyond that, I was also fascinated to learn about Richard Farina and the Baez sisters and their relationships and inter-relationships with each other and Dylan. The book immerses you into the early 1960's folk scene and the does a wonderful job of bringing to life the subculture and the personalities who populated this unique place, which served as a nexus of societal change in Ameri...more

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Jul 13, 2007 Dave-O rated it 4 of 5 stars

American folk in its both in its development and maturation held the same drama and pathos as any other American music that fused with social movement. The figures that Hajdu chose to focus on in his excellent book became very influential artists of the time, Dylan even attaining a cult-like status.

Like any biography of young people it is filled with betrayal, misunderstandings and bruised egos. As they are portrayed, Dylan and Farina were by far the larger and more fragile of the egos and they...more

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Mar 30, 2008 Brayden rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a portrait of four interesting individuals from the 60's folk music scene: Joan Baez, Mimi Baez, Richard Farina, and Bob Dylan. The characters were not only connected through music and their careers, but their lives intertwined in more personal ways. Mimi and Richard married when Mimi was still a teenager. Dylan had a longtime crush on Mimi, but eventually picked up an affair with Joan when it was clear Mimi chose Richard over him. The four were close friends.

The book is as engrossi...more

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May 14, 2010 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Joy by: Kate Power

Popular history centered on Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Joan's sister Mimi with her husband Richard Fariña. From there it winds through Greenwich Village and many of its denizens, out to other inhabitants of the folk music world. Vivid and involving detail throughout. These are the characters warts and all, and the less admirable for it -- though to hear Hajdu, Mimi Fariña has no warts. But the book brims with creativity, especially in the presence of the patron saint of brimming-over, Richard Far...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Larry Blount rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: music, biography

Fun! Loved reading about this group of characters and that point in time.
I remember Mimi Farina and her music and always wondered what happened to her and how she fit in with Joan and Bob and Richard. I read Richard Farina's "Been Down So Long" back in the 60's and thought it was a great expression of teenage angst at the time. So it was just great fun to get all the background on these people and relive that time in my life.

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Sep 16, 2009 Tamanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-north-america, music, counterculture, owned

This book took me a few years to complete because I never wanted to finish it - so very juicy and beautifully told. It captures all the details about Dylan, the Baezs and Farina in perfect detail, making it factual but beautifully poetical at the same time. You get an intimate insight as well as a broad overview. Just behind Chronicles Vol. 1 (written by Dylan himself), this is the best book I've read about Dylan and his musical adventures during the 1960s. Hajdu ties in the details about their...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Kasper Nijsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hajdu does an outstanding job in telling the stories of Joan & Mimi Baez, Richard Farina and Bob Dylan. He is eloquent, knowledgeable, and evokes the maturing of the Sixties folk generation vividly, with both humour and a sense of the tragedy of (especially) Richard & Mimi's early life. I may be slightly biased though, as a fan of the music of all four main characters.

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Dec 02, 2009 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

The author lost me a bit at the end when he got a little heavy-handed and editorial with his Dylan, musical criticism, but all-told it felt like a well-rounded account of the "early years."

I've read a few Dylan books and always feel like they end up contradicting each other (what really was the inspiration for 'Mr. Tambourine Man'?), but perhaps that's the nature of Dylan himself. Contradictory explanations for a contradictory man.

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Aug 23, 2010 Emma Lynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely fantastic, detailed, and dedicated portrayal of the American Fab Four. If you are a self-proclaimed "Bob Dylan Fan," this is required reading. Even if you don't give two shoots about Bob Dylan, you'd be doing yourself a favor by learning about these wacky, creative, and influential folkies who were, at heart, just regular young people who loved music.

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Sep 10, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book knowing nothing about the main characters, I am too young to remember. I was totally surprised by the ending. I was in suspense and anxious to know what happens next. That its a true story makes it all the better. Great story for music lovers.

s totally fascinated and in suspense. It read like a novel to me and I was completely surprised at how it ended. A great read for anyone who loves a music and a great story.

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Aug 07, 2008 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is somewhat controversial, depending on which of the principals the reader admires most. I was a big fan of Richard and Mimi Fariña (I took up the dulcimer shortly after his death), and I liked the book. In Hadju's version both Dylan and Baez were driven to succeed at all costs. Sometimes it isn't pretty to watch. Fariña and Dylan are both portrayed as huge poseurs, while the Baez girls are generally more authentic (Mimi was Hadju's main source). Of course the same story can be told in...more

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Feb 17, 2008 jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: music, memoir-bio

while much has been written about the king and queen of folk, there is remarkably less to be found about richard fariña & mimi baez. this book chronicles the early years of the scene, from the late 1950's through the mid-1960's. it is an interesting read, and was clearly researched quite thoroughly (hajdu even scored interviews with fariña's notoriously media-wary college roommate & famed novelist, thomas pynchon).

to me, the most fascinating parts of the book dealt with richard & mi...more

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About David Hajdu

DAVID HAJDU is the author of Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn and Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina. He is a critic for The New Republic and a professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. He lives in New York City."

More about David Hajdu...

Books by David Hajdu

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America

Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn

Heroes and Villains: Essays on Music, Movies, Comics, and Culture

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