David Yaffe

David Yaffe (born January 1, 1973) is an assistant professor of humanities at Syracuse University known for his critical writings on music. During the 2008-2009 academic year, he was the Gould Faculty Fellow in the Humanities at Claremont McKenna College. He subsequently returned to Syracuse. His writings have appeared in many publications, including Harper's Magazine, The Nation, Slate, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Along with Ruth Franklin, he was awarded the 2012 Roger Shattuck Prize for Criticism, presented by the Center for Fiction.

In December 2018 Yaffe appeared on an episode of BBC Radio 4's Soul Music, discussing the Joni Mitchell song "River".

Works

• Fascinating Rhythm: Reading Jazz in American Writing, Princeton University Press, 2006. ISBN 0691123578
• Bob Dylan: Like a Complete Unknown, Yale University Press, May 24, 2011. ISBN 978-0-300-12457-6
• Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017. ISBN 9780374248130