Language: G (0 swears); Mature
Content: PG13 (STD, Prostitution, Masturbation, and Sexuality); Violence: G
BUYING
ADVISORY: HS –OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE
APPEAL: AVERAGE
Readers learn about the tumultuous
life of Vaslav Nijinsky from his rigorous training, to his brief but wild
success, and the his fall into mental illness. He was born in the Ukraine in
1889 and trained almost his entire youth as a dancer. In his career he was a
super star and when given the opportunity to choreograph for himself, he was
ahead of his time and pushed the boundaries of traditional ballet both in dance
form and topics. For some years during the height of his fame he lived in an
openly gay relationship though he did end up marrying a woman and having a
child. Tragically, the last half of his life was marked by severe mental
illness.
This is right there on the edge of
being for adults, both in the complexity of the writing as well as the content.
If Vaslav had been a pioneer in gay rights, this would probably be a good book
to add to your collection. But he was more swept into his lifestyle, with the
key ballet director as his lover, which ensured his success. Which had sort of
a Hollywood style #metoo type feel, though that isn’t discussed in the book.
The artistic portraits of Vaslav are gorgeous and add a lot to a fleshing out
life that wasn’t photographed very often.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS &
Author.
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