Perpetual Motion: The Public and Private Lives of Rudolf Nureyev [Paperback]

Otis Stuart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

In the first full-scale biography of Rudolf Nureyev since his death from AIDS in 1993, Stuart tells Nureyev's story "with wit and grace" (Chicago Sun-Times). "No dancer in history has been so splendidly characterized in the written word."--Francis Mason, Ballet Review. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this first biography since Nureyev's death from AIDS in 1993, dance critic Stuart casts an insider's eye on the public and private lives of this icon of ballet artistry and Cold War intrigue. Born in 1938 on board Russia's transcontinental railway near Irkutsk, Nureyev experienced a childhood of poverty that fueled his voracious adult appetites for dance, sex and money. According to the author, the young Kirov Ballet star's 1961 escape from Soviet agents in Paris and his defection to the West had more to do with ego than politics. Stuart chronicles Nureyev's tenacious ability to sustain a lucrative performing career well into middle age despite being HIV infected for a decade. Coupled with his phenomenal work ethic was Nureyev's temper: he sent two colleagues to the hospital with kicks to the rear. Against the backdrop of Nureyev's legendary partnership with Margot Fonteyn, Stuart provides a brutally frank portrait of his very active homosexual conduct?never publicly acknowledged?in the era before AIDS. Among a wealth of anecdotes, we learn how, during a Melbourne performance with the Australian Ballet, Nureyev was detained during intermission by the vice squad in a public lavatory, where he had stopped for "a quickie" with "a young, tall bloke." The company held the curtain; Fonteyn was enraged. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The headline-making career of international ballet star Nureyev?defection, legendary partnership with Margot Fonteyn, artistic directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet?was in contrast with a private life that remained largely hidden. He died in 1992 from AIDS, without publicly acknowledging either his homosexuality or his illness. Stuart, contributor to such magazines as Vanity Fair, Elle, and the Village Voice, emphasizes the life of the artist offstage. Nureyev's sexual adventures, wealth, and eccentricities, rather than his artistic and professional accomplishments, are the focus of this book, which Stuart researched and wrote in less than a year. The sensationalism wears thin, and Stuart's pop-culture approach will leave most readers wanting a more substantive, well-balanced book on this dancer, who so greatly changed the look of ballet.
-?Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452275792
• ISBN-13: 978-0452275799
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written bio of a wild man, September 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Perpetual Motion: The Public and Private Lives of Rudolf Nureyev (Hardcover)

Well, I don't care if it was hastily put together, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a long-time Rudi fan, I was pleased to reminisce, and I even learned some new facts. I also gained a new respect for everything Nureyev did for dance, and for the plight of the male dancer. Mr. Stuart has a fun writing style that was quite appropriate for his subject. I particularly liked his description of the job of a male dancer! ..."tote that swan, lift the sylph"! How true. I also laughed out loud at his descriptions of some of the more notorious melees Rudi got into (or created). The fight at the beach, which ended up partially a food fight, was very entertainingly described ("The hills were alive with marinara!"). I think this is a good introduction to Nureyev's life, and I respected and appreciated Mr. Stuart's frankness about Rudi's sexual persuasion and private life. It could have had more pictures of Rudi in flight (dancing). Lord knows, there are enough around!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Read...Fascinating Story, February 6, 2006

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Perpetual Motion: The Public and Private Lives of Rudolf Nureyev (Hardcover)

"Perpetual Motion: The Public and Private Lives of Rudolf Nureyev" by Otis Stuart is a book well-named. Stuart gives us a look into this incredible life from birth to death, in what seemed to be a non-stop whirlwind of life. Nothing about Nureyev was ordinary. Born of all places, on a train, changing the world's view of ballet while performing brilliantly,his dramatic defection from Russia, and even continuing to contribute to the world of dance during the years he struggled with AIDS, up to the time of his death.

Mr. Stuart's account of this extraordinary life, seems to be very well researched. He brings to the reader a most compelling look at the fascinating life and loves of Nureyev, and tells his story from the point of great admiration. He explores all the many sides and layers of Nureyev.The almost super-human like engery, his passion for both the dance and his partners, both professionally and personally(an entire chapter is devoted soley to Margot Fonteyn), and we also see a more vulnerable side as well.

Reading the Author's descriptions of the performances, and reading this wonderfully up close and personal look at the life of this amazingly talented person, left me wanting to buy some of the DVDs with his dance.There is a section of some great pix included as well. I would recommend this biography to any fan of Nureyev or ballet.

Enjoy the read....Laurie

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2.0 out of 5 stars Gossipy book by somebody who wasn't even there, December 25, 2010

By 

northkona (Kailua-Kona, HI United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Perpetual Motion: The Public and Private Lives of Rudolf Nureyev (Paperback)

This book is a collection of little gossipy vignettes told by somebody who wasn't even a bystander to the events of Nureyev's life. Stuart doesn't have an interest in the genius of Nureyev -- he was much more interested in the dancer being gay, and stretches the stories to showcase this slant of the book. I thought it was a trivial, jokey, silly book, revealing little about what made Nureyev a remarkable person. It's also fairly old, and it hasn't stood the test of time. A far better read is Julie Kavanaugh's fantastic bio, Nureyev, The Life.