ouanet" London B78 Ronin. "Niinaky. "osteatcs.
Since this diary is entirely based jon the writings of Nijinsky when the shadow "of derangement "had overcome his mind It cannot Criticized by weighing up the actual Significance of the sentiments and judgments which it possesses. The reader is "bound to- accept the translation (beautifully done by the author's wife with Miss Mettingly's sistance) as the unhappily. blurred mirror of an artistic soul. Through the mind" of Nilinsky flowed memories of his childhood, of "the days of his greatness, of his monetary and. emotional struggles; and though may imagine that he has brought hem all Into focus, It is quite impossible for the reader to do more than wonder at the patience of 2 rear artist In a torment. which is one the less terrible because only partly seized of its reality. The ually of the diary may be gauged all very pathetic and naive; Ht ranges from the petulant to' the stoical and, above all, it, vindicates the devotion of his wife, who has had contend with many misunder~ standings and unfair aspersions on. her sincerity in the tragic years dur-Ing which she has so carehilly tended the wreck of im who was once the idol "of audiences in Europe and JAmerica. Early in the present year In London, link with Nijinsky was broken by the death of Nicholas Legat at the age of 67. Legat was an inheritor of the great tradition classical ballet; an excellent dancer and producer, he was above all things a fine teacher. Even at the height of her fame Pavlova would go to him for correction, and to him resorted such great dancers as Litar, Karsavina, Dolin, and the rest. It was Legat who started Nijinsky on his career, because when Legat had been given class in the school of the Imperial Ballet, at the age of 20, when he was premier danseur of the Marinsky Theatre, Ihe was confronted by an application for the admission of a low, pale, neat boy. The. boy's chances of admission were negligible, because of his unpromising appear ance, but Legat somehow saw whol others could not see, and he insisted that" the "admittance should be granted, Thus Nijinsky entered the school and started "his great but lo career. written down his thoughts in. prose, Not only has Nilinsky Jo this dary ut he hss managed to express them foo in a series of drawings unmistakable 'illustrative of his state, but yet displaying the artistic genius Wwhich shows the community between the creative arts—en.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.