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Dancer
by Colum McCann
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780312423186 
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Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
From the acclaimed author of This Side of Brightness, the epic life and times of Rudolf Nureyev, reimagined in a dazzlingly inventive masterpiece — published to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Nureyev's death
A Russian peasant who became an international legend, a Cold War exile who inspired millions, an artist whose name stood for genius, sex, and excess — the magnificence of Rudolf Nureyev's life and work are known, but now Colum McCann, in his most daring novel yet, reinvents this erotically charged figure through the light he cast on those who knew him. Taking his inspiration from the biographical facts, McCann tells the story through a chorus of voices: there is Anna Vasileva, Rudi's first ballet teacher, who rescues her protege from the stunted life of his town; Yulia, whose sexual and artistic ambitions are thwarted by her Soviet-sanctioned marriage; and Victor, the Venezuelan hustler, who reveals the lurid underside of the gay celebrity set.
Spanning four decades and many worlds, from the horrors of Stalingrad to the wild abandon of New York in the eighties, Dancer is peopled by a large cast of characters, obscure and famous: doormen and shoemakers, Margot Fonteyn and John Lennon. And at the heart of the spectacle stands the artist himself, willful, lustful, and driven by a never-to-be-met need for perfection. In ecstatic prose, McCann evokes the distinct consciousness of the man and the glittering reflection of the myth. The result is a monumental story of love, art, and exile.
Review:
"Faithfully capturing the pathos and grim poverty of the Soviet Union at mid-century, McCann also reveals a splashy tabloid affinity for the excesses and effects of fame and notoriety. Though the focus here is narrower than that of McCann's previous works, the novel is a lovely showcase for his fluid prose and storytelling skill." Publishers Weekly
Review:
"Both the Soviet Union of the war-torn 1940s and the displacement and hopefulness of an exile's life are perfectly evoked, and Nureyev — impossible, erratic, and brilliant — is a golden flame that sets everything ablaze." Library Journal
Review:
"Only a novelist as deep, intelligent, and intuitive as Colum McCann could have written such a book. " Adrienne Miller, Esquire
Review:
"Reading Dancer is like awakening a ghost ? a painfully beautiful ghost of a life that is more than a life ? a symbol of the hope and the hunger of our times." Orlando Sentinel
Review:
"It is not Nureyev himself that concerns McCann as a novelist but the impact that one person can have on the lives of others. In fiction, as in life, the story of an individual is created from the stories told by those he has touched." Houston Chronicle
Review:
"McCann has taken genuine risks. At every turn he has risen grandly to the occasion." Boston Herald
Review:
"McCann dances Nureyev alive again..." San Antonio Express-News
Review:
"McCann, with utterly self-assured prose and a wealth of perfectly placed detail, has breathed life into every anecdote and each pirouette." Portland Oregonian
Review:
"Dancer is bigger than the dance, bigger than biography, too, its flights of fancy and poignancy beautifully showcased in McCann's satisfying and touching conclusion." Miami Herald
Review:
"In his sensitivity and understanding McCann moves beyond the often clunky historical novel form to true literature." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Review:
"Dancer is rich with voices and characters who orbit one sun: Nureyev.... Each description is an exquisite solo performance that both reveals and obscures Nureyev's fierce personality.... McCann displays a dazzling, inventive talent." USA Today
Review:
"Dancer may well bring readers closer to the real Nureyev than any other book to date." San Francisco Chronicle
Review:
"McCann has done an awesome amount of homework, not merely about the backstage world of ballet but also about a long list of other Nureyev-related topics ranging from life in wartime Russia to how one picks up men in gay bathhouses." Baltimore Sun
Review:
"The goal of a book like this is to catch the spirit of the person and his age. It's a tall order, and one that Dancer pulls off brilliantly." St. Petersburg Times
Review:
"It is glorious in every way, a gift of language to be savored." Book Sense
Review:
"In the fictional reimagining of Dancer, McCann's fluid lyricism brilliantly conveys Nureyev's towering professional achievement and the wasteland of his personal life....Above all, the novel is a triumph of voice." Newsday
Review:
"A beautiful, floating novel about Nureyev's life and art." The New York Times Book Review
Review:
"A monumental life...Stylistically, Dancer is a leap itself." Los Angeles Times
Review:
"The goal of a book like this is to catch the spirit of the person and his age. It's a tall order, and one that Dancer pulls off brilliantly." The Seattle Times
Synopsis:
Taking his inspiration from the biographical facts of Rudolf Nureyev's life, McCann tells the story of a famous dancer through a chorus of voices. Spanning four decades and many worlds, Dancer is peopled by a large cast of characters, obscure and famous. The result is a monumental story of love, art, and exile.
Synopsis:
Taking his inspiration from biographical facts, novelist Colum McCann tells the erotically charged story of the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev through the cast of those who knew him: there is Anna Vasileva, Rudi's first ballet teacher, who rescues her protégé from the stunted life of his provincial town; Yulia, whose sexual and artistic ambitions are thwarted by her Soviet-sanctioned marriage; and Victor, the Venezuelan street hustler, who reveals the lurid underside of the gay celebrity set. Spanning four decades and many worlds, from the horrors of the Second World War to the wild abandon of New York in the eighties, Dancer is peopled by a large cast of characters, obscure and famous: doormen and shoemakers, nurses and translators, Margot Fonteyn, Eric Bruhn and John Lennon. And at the heart of the spectacle stands the artist himself, willful, lustful, and driven by a never-to-be-met need for perfection.
About the Author
Colum McCann is the author of the novels This Side of Brightness and Songdogs, as well as two critically acclaimed story collections. He has received a Pushcart Prize, been an IMPAC finalist, and was named the first winner of the Grace Kelly Memorial Foundation Award and the Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award. A contributor to the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and GQ, he lives in New York City.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
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Jennifer Northington, January 29, 2007 (view all comments by Jennifer Northington)
The language itself is a dance, leaping from one narrator to the next, from correspondence to notes to lottery auctions and back to narrative again. dancer burns its images into your brain, both beautiful and sordid. After reading this and ZOLI, Colum McCann is my new go-to author.
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780312423186
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Picador USA
- Location:
- New York
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Historical - General
- Subject:
- Russia
- Subject:
- Ballet dancers
- Subject:
- Biographical fiction
- Subject:
- Male dancers.
- Subject:
- General Fiction
- Subject:
- General Fiction
- Series Volume:
- 108-405
- Publication Date:
- February 2004
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 336
- Dimensions:
- 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
