Nureyev. His Life

Nureyev: His Life, the first full-scale biography of the legendary Russian dancer, traces Nureyev's remarkable climb out of poverty in the war-torn Soviet Union to become one of our century's most popular and influential artists. We see his difficult relationship with his father, Hamet, and the roots of the defiant spirit that fueled Nureyev's unquenchable desire to dance until his final days. Author Diane Solway gives us the first complete account of his landmark defection and of his subsequent secret trial-in-absentia for treason.

Solway takes us inside the great companies, showing us how the controversial Nureyev revitalized the Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet and left a lasting imprint on troupes around the world. We also hear from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Edward Albee, and everyone from childhood friends in Russia to the circle of intimates who took care of the dancer in his final months, before his untimely death from AIDS in 1993.

In this thorough yet sensitive portrait, she weaves together more than two hundred interviews with his family, friends, lovers, and dance partners and draws on new material from Soviet archives, family documents, diaries, correspondence, and other original sources.