Dancer by Colum McCann – Book Review
What a fantastic book this is. It tells the story of the Russian Tatar dancer Rudolf Nureyev. He was supposedly born on a train, rumbling down the Trans-Siberian Railway, and in some ways that sums up his wandering life.
The story begins with the boy Rudi entertaining the physically and mentally scarred troops returning from the Nazi front. His father also returns, a political officer who has a very negative view of his son’s chosen career, something that haunts Rudi’s progress at all times.
There’s no denying him though and he slowly climbs the greasy slopes, not beyond the occasional dirty trick to help you on your way. He is quickly pointed out as a rebellious character and is subsequently watched carefully. But he doesn’t seem careful enough, as he manages to defect in Paris right under the noses of the KGB officers. Rudi is on his way, throwing himself into the hedonistic lifestyle of New York, London and Paris.
Personally, I found the passages set in the Soviet Union much more interesting than those in the West. The book moved me to tears on several occasions; such is the power of Mister McCann’s writing. It is often presented as a biography, but as he takes pains to point out, it is a work of fiction. Sometimes you have to remind yourself of that, though it never detracts from the enjoyment he offers.
The book is written in the first person and some people have found it irritating because that first person often changes with each chapter and sometimes with each page. It’s a device that keeps the reader on their toes, but doesn’t get in the way of writing or enjoyment.
It doesn’t matter if you have little or no interest in ballet or dance, the Soviet Union, the Cold War, the 1960s, World War II, or homosexuality, this book has the power to captivate the reader whatever their background. situation. interests.
I just took a look at the Amazon ranking for this title. Amazingly there were 486,350! If that is true there is no justice in the world because this is the best book I have read this year. Hardcover work can be bought for the cost of postage alone, and that’s ridiculous.
Do yourself a favor and read this book, heck go one step further, enjoy yourself and buy a copy. The book and the writer deserve it, and so do you.
