Bronislava Nijinska: Early Memoirs [Paperback]

Bronislava Nijinksa (Author), Irina Nijinska (Editor), Jean Rawlinson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 1992

Now in paperback, Bronislava Nijinska: Early Memoirs—originally published in 1981—has been hailed by critics, scholars, and dancers alike as the definitive source of firsthand information on the early life of the great Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950). This memoir, recounted here with verve and stunning detail by the late Bronislava Nijinska (1891–1972)—Nijinsky's sister and herself a major twentieth-century dancer and leading choreographer of the Diaghilev era—offers a season-by-season chronicle of their childhood and early artistic development. Written with feeling and charm, these insightful memoirs provide an engrossingly readable narrative that has the panoramic sweep and colorful vitality of a Russian novel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Early Memoirs . . . is a book that not only paints a detailed canvas of ballet in turn-of-the-century Russia, but does so with an attention to fact and an appreciation of artistic issues that reflect the same analytical intelligence that Nijinska revealed in her own choreography."—Lynn Garafola, author of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press Books (October 6, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822312956
• ISBN-13: 978-0822312956
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Choreography
  • #57 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Ballet

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A recollection of a bygone era, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bronislava Nijinska: Early Memoirs (Paperback)

This is an extraordinary book, I read it twice through, as it is 'unputdownable.' It is a remarkably vivid account of childhood and growing to maturity in a bygone era at a time of great cultural and social changes. The humanity of the writer shines through and it is a gripping story from beginning to end. Nijinska's narrative shows how difficult it was to be Nijinsky's sister and still retain her own identity and develop her own talent. Dare I say it, I would rather read about her than her brother?

Though it may seem a quibble, once Nijinska has graduated from The Imperial Theatre School I start to 'hear' two voices in this book, Nijinska's and an editor's padding out the narrative with sometimes debatable information and facts which are easily verified elsewhere, especially with regard to Diaghilev's production plans in 1914, that flatly contradict Nijinska's writing. Likewise the dating of the New Style Western dates as opposed to the Russian dates, 13 days behind the rest of Europe prior to the Revolution, gets muddled at times, most notably in the news of Nijinsky's marriage. One picture is wrongly captioned, leading me to wonder about others. However, in such a great work, these are but small quibbles. [Check the group photograph of a celebration for Matilda Kschessinska, there is a circle around the face of a sweet, affectionate looking lady, meant to depict Kschessinska, but it is the sparkling eyed, dark haired lady directly below her who is actually Kschessinska.]

Bronislava Nijinska's memoir covers the early years of her long creative life, leaving one longing for more, what a pity, a very great pity that a second volume detailing her later work throughout the world has never been published.