About The Author – Mardav
Martin A. David is the very definition of the overused, but seldom-earned moniker “Renaissance Man.” His has been a life richly lived and brightly colored by odysseys foreign and domestic, and adventures that could fill several lifetimes. The octogenarian New York native has lived through and been present for some of the 20th Century’s world-altering socio-political events and upheavals. A witness to the chaotic aftermath of World War II, through the McCarthy Era, to the Beat Poets, to the March on Washington in 1963, David’s passionate convictions led him to wrestle life with both hands, but always with his inimitable joie de vivre.
David’s history includes work as Journalist, educator, painter (he sold his first piece while still a teen), poet, dancer, choreographer, artist, editor, novelist, craftsman, jewelry designer, software engineer, cowboy, house painter, migrant worker, and factory worker. He has also supported his community as an arts activist with stints in such positions as cultural advisory commissioner, and arts council panelist in California.
A self-described “wanderer” whose lifestyle was informed and influenced by the Beat Generation, David excelled in the world of letters, in writings that displayed remarkable range and depth of form, from essays, to columns, books, and of course, poetry—the language of the soul.
“The 1956 publication of Allen Ginsburg’s Howl, Ferlinghetti’s Coney Island of the Mind, and the absurdist works of playwrights such as Beckett, Ionesco, and Pirandello all left an indelible mark on my writing,” David says.
Theatre, David’s first love, has been a life constant. A theatrical chameleon, David has been everything from a mime to an acting teacher. His first acting role came in Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare company while still in his youth.
Throughout his travels, dance and visual art were never far away from his heart. David co-founded the Creative Dance Theatre of Copenhagen, as well as …And Still Dancing in San Francisco. The Copenhagen troupe toured extensively throughout Europe. He became an award-winning dance critic on his return to Los Angeles.
David’s proficiency in the visual arts has earned him gallery shows on two continents, and his paintings and drawings have found their way into magazines, newspapers, and the private collections of art enthusiasts worldwide.
David has a knack for picking up languages quickly (he speaks nine and is fluent in Spanish, Danish, French and English). His linguistic skill was put to good use when his wanderlust helped facilitate professional opportunities to tour and live in Mexico, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, as well as Germany, Austria, Spain, the former Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Morocco, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada and throughout the States.
At age 50, David had the audacity to return to school for computer training, facilitating a lucrative 20-year career in the Silicon Valley as a software quality assurance engineer in the nascent software industry.
“The Silly-Con Valley made it possible for me to keep working in the arts,” David says.
Continuous creation is an imperative for David as an outlet and muse for his deep social convictions and limitless curiosity and energy. Though the next chapter in David’s life is still unwritten, it will be most certainly be passionately lived.
Martin A. David lives in the Reno, Nevada foothills with his lovely wife Carol (a massage therapist) and their dear pets.
-By Journalist Oliver X
