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Vaslav Nijinsky (1880
- 1950)
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 The
Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky : Unexpurgated Edition by
Vaslav Nijinsky, Joan Acocella (Editor), Kyril Fitzlyon
(Translator)
Vaslav Nijinsky spent
the final six weeks before his permanent consignment to an insane
asylum as something a madman in the attic. With his family--wife,
young daughters and occasionally, mother-in-law--and household
staff downstairs, the legendary dancer retreated to his room in a
remote Swiss villa to tangle with his burgeoning psychosis.
Fearful that his wife would (as she ultimately did) commit him,
and highly suspicious of the physician-cum-amateur psychiatrist
who daily came by to examine him, Nijinsky perceived the diary as
the only safe haven for the rambling thoughts that were overtaking
him. Throughout, the anxiety and anguish are palpable, as Nijinsky
writes about his disillusionment with his mentor and lover,
Ballets Russes director Serge Diaghilev; his alienation from and
distrust of his closest family members; and his fear of insanity
and its consequential confinement. His writing becomes more
obscure as the weeks progress and he examines his relationship to
God, writing "I am God" at one point, and later:
"God said to me, 'Go home and tell your wife that you are
mad.'" As his schizophrenia evolves, the pace and style of
Nijinsky's prose changes radically--toward the end he writes in
abstract verse--but he remains, with a dancer's sensibility,
attuned to the cadences of his environment. The noises of the
household, the ringing of the phone, footsteps down the hall,
smatterings of conversations overheard are all registered as a
sort of accompaniment to his dance with madness and function
perhaps as a final tether to reality.
Nijinsky's wife stumbled upon the diary in a
locked trunk some years after her husband disappeared into the
abyss of madness and soon released it for publication to feed
public interest in her famous mate--but not before she sanitized
the manuscript to such a degree (removing references to his
homosexuality, overblown ego, bizarre paranoia, and various
obsessions with bodily functions and sex acts) that its essence
was obscured. Now 80 years after it was written, 20 years after
its renegade editor died, and six years after the copyright that
Nijinsky's daughters held expired, the unexpurgated version of the
diaries faithfully restores the fascinating record of a great
artist's struggle for his life.
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Excerpt:
Nijinsky was born in 1880 and died 1950.
Nijinsky was "the most brilliant graduate of the Imperial
Theatre School, a legendary performer in the history of dance and
a revolutionary choreographer. Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky was born in
Kiev and on May 19, 1909; Nijinsky became a legend." Nijinsky
made his debut in Folkine's
Le Pavillion d'Armide in
Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. From then on he was known for his
leaps and characterizations. He took the art of dance and made it
his own - and people loved him. In 1911 - because of a political
scandal - he was dismissed from the Imperial Theatre. (pg. 169,
Diaghilev) He returned in later years but then left again for
personal reasons. During his career, "he set new standards
for every male dancer who succeeded him. His virtuosity and
perfect technique dazzled the ballet masters of St. Petersburg.
Audiences gasped as he leaped to celestial heights yet were
profoundly moved by his vivid characterizations...
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Excerpt:
Born in Kiev in 1890, Vaslav Nijinsky
was the second son of Thomas Laurentiyevich Nijinsky
and Eleonora Bereda; both
his parents were celebrated
dancers, and his father
in particular was famous for
his virtuosity and enormous
leaps. The Nijinskys had
their own dance company and
performed throughout the Russian
Empire. Nijinsky's childhood
was mostly spent in the
Caucasus, where he danced as
a small child with his brother Stanislav
and his little sister Bronislawa.
His father, noticing the
child's great disposition for dancing,
gave him his first lessons...
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From
Andros on Ballet (Dick Andros)
Excerpt:
Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kiev, Russia, March
12, 1888, while his parents, dancers Eleonora Bereda and Foma
Nijinsky were on tour. He entered the Imperial School in St.
Petersburg in 1898, and upon graduation in 1907 became a soloist
with the Maryinsky Theater. He was short and stocky, and offstage,
shy and reserved, yet the public adored him. Nijinsky moved in the
aristocratic society of St. Petersburg. At a party he met Sergei
Diaghilev, and under the influence of Diaghilev's strong
personality, he soon became his lover and protégé...
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Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
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W X
Y Z
| Authors
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Index |
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