Dancer

Unabridged
Author: Colum McCann
Narrator: A Full Cast
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Sound Library
Date: February 2004
Length: 13 hours
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Overview

Daringly embellishing Nureyev's life, from his humble beginnings as a Russian peasant to his later years as a Cold War exile who earned the adoration of millions, McCann tells the fascinating story of ballet's greatest performer through a chorus of compelling voices. From the obscure to the famous, from the real to the imagined, shoemakers, nurses, translators, and hustlers take center-stage alongside Margot Fonteyn, Erik Bruhn, and Andy Warhol. At the heart of this lavish spectacle stands the artist himself, willful, lustful, ambitious and driven by a tragically unfulfilled perfectionism. In vivid, electric prose Colum McCann evokes the humanity behind the mask offset by the glittering reflection of the myth. The result is a monumental twentieth-century story of love, art, fame, and exile.

Selected Reviews

The Man Stripped Bare

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 5/5

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Reviews (1)

The Man Stripped Bare

Written by Anonymous on October 26th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 5/5

The beginning of this book startled me. It did not seem to be about the dancer at all. What is this about washing half dead soldiers? Much of this book can be like that. It seems as though the person speaking has nothing to do with Nureyev, but everything comes back to him. All the voices, his voice, they all swirl around this volatile genius of dance. He comes off as spoiled, hedonistic. He shows compassion and generosity. He is foul mouthed and uncivilized. He is eloquant and sensitive. I saw Rudy dance in San Francisico decades ago. A graceful, beautiful god whose influence has stayed with me through the years. I had seen the dancer then. This book finally let me see the man. Flawed and imperfect. He is more alive to me, more approachable through this book.

Selected Reviews

The Man Stripped Bare

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 5/5

More...

Read All 1