Scan barcode
matlock's review against another edition
Had to return the library before I finished! Never got it out again 😂
rpmiller's review against another edition
3.0
I was reading, and transcribing, family letters recently and noticed references to Nijinski (sic) in October and November 1935. The first was about Ballet Russe performing in Indianapolis in December. The letter writer had read a book, probably the one by Romola Nijinsky published in 1934 - ' I wouldn't miss that for anything in the world, especially after reading “Nijinski”. Have you read it? You must. It's the most fascinating reading I have run across for a long time.' The second was about a play "Faun" -'The Civic Theater opens the 23rd, with the original play “Faun” written by Charles Milholland, a local youth who wrote “Twentieth Century”. He also plays the lead. This play is based on the life of my adored “Nijinsky” the very famous Russian dancer who lost his mind.' The title of the play is also part of the title of a Nijinski ballet. Both of these letters were from the same person to my great uncle, a playwright, director and actor, who had friends in theater locally and in NYC.
Anyway, I have a slight interest in ballet, at least in Indiana and IU in Bloomington or the Indy Ballet company, and maybe soon in Cincinnati since I live near there these days. This particular book was available as an ebook (I don't like dealing with physical books, especially storage, these days).
The book was a little dry in some ways, but I was fascinated to learn that ballet, even in France, had fallen out of favor by the end of the 19th century. The Ballet Russe seemed to have revitalized ballet in Paris and London, and maybe brought professional ballet to America. Nijinsky, both as dancer and choreographer, was a major reason for the resurgence of ballet as a form of theater art. There was some slight mention of George Balanchine, whose method is popular in ballet today, at least in Indiana.
The intrigues of the ballet world during Nijinsky's involvement in the 1910s, and in St Petersburg before that time were presented in an interesting way, for me. In fact, characters from other art formats were also mentioned in their relationship to the period and innovation. These mentions included Picasso and Stravinsky, in particular, both artist I admire.
The parts about Nijinsky's mental state and diagnosis had me thinking about other things, genius in particular. For example, Bobby Fischer mental problems in later life after becoming the first American world chess champion (defeating a Russian, coincidentally). There are many other such examples. Well these thoughts went further off track into the issue of individuality versus society, and consciousness itself (another couple of my interests). Needless to say, I enjoyed the book, even if my enjoyment was not completely related to the content.
Anyway, I have a slight interest in ballet, at least in Indiana and IU in Bloomington or the Indy Ballet company, and maybe soon in Cincinnati since I live near there these days. This particular book was available as an ebook (I don't like dealing with physical books, especially storage, these days).
The book was a little dry in some ways, but I was fascinated to learn that ballet, even in France, had fallen out of favor by the end of the 19th century. The Ballet Russe seemed to have revitalized ballet in Paris and London, and maybe brought professional ballet to America. Nijinsky, both as dancer and choreographer, was a major reason for the resurgence of ballet as a form of theater art. There was some slight mention of George Balanchine, whose method is popular in ballet today, at least in Indiana.
The intrigues of the ballet world during Nijinsky's involvement in the 1910s, and in St Petersburg before that time were presented in an interesting way, for me. In fact, characters from other art formats were also mentioned in their relationship to the period and innovation. These mentions included Picasso and Stravinsky, in particular, both artist I admire.
The parts about Nijinsky's mental state and diagnosis had me thinking about other things, genius in particular. For example, Bobby Fischer mental problems in later life after becoming the first American world chess champion (defeating a Russian, coincidentally). There are many other such examples. Well these thoughts went further off track into the issue of individuality versus society, and consciousness itself (another couple of my interests). Needless to say, I enjoyed the book, even if my enjoyment was not completely related to the content.
balancinghistorybooks's review
4.0
‘Nijinsky,’ writes Moore: ‘his name alone conjures up romance, exoticism, scandal and tragedy’. Acclaimed historian Lucy Moore, who has written the first full-length biography of Nijinsky for decades, believes that he ‘transformed the world of ballet… as the first male star of the modern era, with critics and audiences hailing him the God of the Dance’. She writes that he ‘had the same dramatic impact on ballet as the work of Picasso had on painting’.
Vaslav Nijinsky, born in 1889, is said by many to be the greatest dancer of the twentieth century, and was the shining star of the famous Ballets Russes. For the first time in the scope of Nijinsky’s biographers, Moore has been able to take into account his personal diaries to further enforce her information. She spans the course of his fascinating and incredibly sad life, until his death in 1950, and even touches upon the legacy which Nijinsky the dancer left behind. She is conscious of his tough climb to the top, and those problems which beset him with every step forward. When he began to train at the prestigious Tsar-owned ballet school at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, for example, he had trouble fitting in, despite his obvious talents. As a Polish boy ‘with a strong accent, and notably poorer than the others, he was despised by his peers, ignored in all the school games and made to feel inferior at every turn’.
Nijinsky, who excelled at his craft and found fame in the Ballets Russes at an early age, was born into the ballet; his parents were both ‘gifted professional dancers’, and his younger sister Bronia joined the same company as him. In his own diary, Nijinsky wrote that his parents ‘considered it as natural to teach me to dance as to walk and talk’. At the start of the book, Moore sets out the family history of the Nijinskys, which is fascinating in itself.
From the very beginning, Moore’s writing is beautiful. Her prologue is centered around the premiere of Nijinsky’s ballet ‘Le Sacre du printemps’, which was choreographed with two poets, and was first staged in Paris in 1913. ‘Le Sacre du printemps’, and other ballets choreographed at around the same time, writes Moore, created ‘a revolutionary, entirely modern form of ballet, stripped of the tinselled artifice of previous generations’. Amongst other elements – becoming the husband of a rather formidable woman named Romola, and the father to two doting daughters, for example – Moore wonderfully exemplifies the friction between Nijinsky and ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who schooled him in homosexual relationships. Throughout, Moore is conscious of the social constraints which Nijinsky and his family would have struggled against, and uses them as a backdrop to the biography at every turn. It is clear that she is so in control of her subject and in the information which she presents, and has used each one of her sources with clarity and consideration.
Photographs of Nijinsky and those who were close to him have been printed in glossy sections, and these are a lovely touch. Moore has also included a comprehensive notes section and far-reaching bibliography, which those who enjoy ballet, or even just non-fiction in general, are sure to find invaluable. Moore’s account of Nijinsky’s life has been called ‘mesmerising’, ‘captivating’, ‘timely’ and ‘hugely enjoyable’. It is all of these things, and more. Moore’s respect and admiration for Nijinsky shines through on each and every page, and one cannot help but think that she was perfect candidate to write such an enlightening biography of him.
Vaslav Nijinsky, born in 1889, is said by many to be the greatest dancer of the twentieth century, and was the shining star of the famous Ballets Russes. For the first time in the scope of Nijinsky’s biographers, Moore has been able to take into account his personal diaries to further enforce her information. She spans the course of his fascinating and incredibly sad life, until his death in 1950, and even touches upon the legacy which Nijinsky the dancer left behind. She is conscious of his tough climb to the top, and those problems which beset him with every step forward. When he began to train at the prestigious Tsar-owned ballet school at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, for example, he had trouble fitting in, despite his obvious talents. As a Polish boy ‘with a strong accent, and notably poorer than the others, he was despised by his peers, ignored in all the school games and made to feel inferior at every turn’.
Nijinsky, who excelled at his craft and found fame in the Ballets Russes at an early age, was born into the ballet; his parents were both ‘gifted professional dancers’, and his younger sister Bronia joined the same company as him. In his own diary, Nijinsky wrote that his parents ‘considered it as natural to teach me to dance as to walk and talk’. At the start of the book, Moore sets out the family history of the Nijinskys, which is fascinating in itself.
From the very beginning, Moore’s writing is beautiful. Her prologue is centered around the premiere of Nijinsky’s ballet ‘Le Sacre du printemps’, which was choreographed with two poets, and was first staged in Paris in 1913. ‘Le Sacre du printemps’, and other ballets choreographed at around the same time, writes Moore, created ‘a revolutionary, entirely modern form of ballet, stripped of the tinselled artifice of previous generations’. Amongst other elements – becoming the husband of a rather formidable woman named Romola, and the father to two doting daughters, for example – Moore wonderfully exemplifies the friction between Nijinsky and ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who schooled him in homosexual relationships. Throughout, Moore is conscious of the social constraints which Nijinsky and his family would have struggled against, and uses them as a backdrop to the biography at every turn. It is clear that she is so in control of her subject and in the information which she presents, and has used each one of her sources with clarity and consideration.
Photographs of Nijinsky and those who were close to him have been printed in glossy sections, and these are a lovely touch. Moore has also included a comprehensive notes section and far-reaching bibliography, which those who enjoy ballet, or even just non-fiction in general, are sure to find invaluable. Moore’s account of Nijinsky’s life has been called ‘mesmerising’, ‘captivating’, ‘timely’ and ‘hugely enjoyable’. It is all of these things, and more. Moore’s respect and admiration for Nijinsky shines through on each and every page, and one cannot help but think that she was perfect candidate to write such an enlightening biography of him.
nijinsky's review
5.0
this is a sensitive and affectionately written biography that paints a detailed and informed portrait of vaslav, and sets him clearly within the world he inhabited. moore gives a wonderful level of detail to vaslav’s world and the people in it — as much as a biography of nijinsky moore traps in amber the inner circle of the ballets russes & their ridiculous world.
More...