Nureyev: A Biography

Peter Watson, a journalist working for the prestigious English Sunday paper The Observer (founded 1721) has produced a real block buster about one of the absolute super stars of this century. It tells you all - from Nureyev's miserable childhood to his premature death in 1993. It reads like a thriller - yet this is not fiction but the real truth. Watson has ferreted out the most amazing bits of information by inter- viewing literally thousands of people and read widely. There is an impressive bibliography. While reading, one gets a feeling of being there, of being involved as a reader. Though, it is a pity that this splendid work is marred by a few misprints, especially of foreign names, maybe this could be remedied in future editions. The illustrations from Nureyev's childhood and youth are rare and interesting - those from later years are mostly in the "gossip mag." category. A few really beautiful role portraits - of which there is an abundance - would have been better. This is definitely the ultimate biography of the most spectacular dancer of the century (Pavlova included). His impact on male dancing and the improving standard all over the world has left its mark for a long time to come. When Nureyev arrived in London the Royal Ballet was going through a bad patch artistically and a general surge of enthusiasm occured due to Nureyev, but not without human sacrifice. Margot Fonteyn went into a second bloom - only to face misery and illness in her later years - she died in 1991. Buy it - borrow it - steal it - but read it! A truly riveting account of ballet today and some of its fantastic personalities.