Vivacious and charming, ballerina Lydia Lopokova leapt to the height of fame with Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes. Then, a surprising marriage to renowned economist (and former homosexual) John Maynard Keynes catapulted her into an entirely different universe. Her extraordinary story is told here for the first time: it links the world of ballet with the Bloomsbury group—including such remarkable individuals as Nijinsky, Picasso, Stravinsky, and Virginia Woolf—and spans the past century’s most dramatic social, political, and cultural upheavals. Quoting from many of Lydia’s own writings, Judith Mackrell captures her intensely captivating, eccentric, and irreverent personality…and claims her as a major character in both dance and world history.

- Accessible and engaging biography of a colorful, charismatic woman whose story has never been told

- Has a wide potential audience: it will appeal to the ever-rising number of balletomanes, devotees of the Bloomsbury set, anyone interested in British cultural and economic history, and fans of quirky and unusual biographies

- Full of surprising encounters between Lopokova and well-known figures of the 20th century, as well as a discussion of Lydia and Maynard Keynes’ unconventional sex life