The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev

Susan Free teaches movement in the drama program at the University of
Toronto.

When the great classical dancer Rudolf Nureyev died in 1993, the world
of ballet lost its most glamorous and notorious champion. Written by a
close friend of Nureyev and a former National Ballet of Canada dancer,
this book chronicles Nureyev’s life from a polite distance, avoiding
discussions of his sexuality and underplaying his final struggle with
AIDS. However, Nureyev was a colorful character from any perspective,
and there is still enough here to satisfy those curious about his
personal and professional development, obsessive drive, tremendous
talent, and monumental ego. Maybarduk’s account of Nureyev’s
defection to the West from the Soviet Union during the height of the
Cold War makes for suspenseful reading.

Though classified as juvenile literature, this serviceable biography
can be read by anyone with an interest in Nureyev’s professional, as
opposed to sexual, career. Recommended.