What do you think?
Rate this book
I, Maya Plisetskaya
Maya Plisetskaya, one of the world’s foremost dancers, rose to become a prima ballerina of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet after an early life filled with tragedy and loss. In this spirited memoir, Plisetskaya reflects on her personal and professional odyssey, presenting a unique view of the life of a Soviet artist during the troubled period from the late 1930s to the 1990s.
Plisetskaya recounts the execution of her father in the Great Terror and her mother’s exile to the Gulag. She describes her admission to the Bolshoi in 1943, the roles she performed there, and the endless petty harassments she endured, from both envious colleagues and Party officials. Refused permission for six years to tour with the company, Plisetskaya eventually performed all over the world, working with such noted choreographers as Roland Petit and Maurice Béjart. She recounts the tumultuous events she lived through and the fascinating people she met—among them the legendary ballet teacher Agrippina Vaganova, George Balanchine, Frank Sinatra, Rudolf Nureyev, and Dmitri Shostakovich. And she provides fascinating details about testy cocktail-party encounters with Khrushchev, tours abroad when her meager per diem allowance brought her close to starvation, and KGB plots to capitalize on her friendship with Robert Kennedy. Gifted, courageous, and brutally honest, Plisetskaya brilliantly illuminates the world of Soviet ballet during an era that encompasses both repression and cultural détente.
Still prima ballerina assoluta with the Bolshoi Ballet, Maya Plisetskaya also travels around the world performing and lecturing. At the Bolshoi’s gala celebrating her 75th birthday, President Vladimir Putin presented her with Russia’s highest civilian honor, the medal for service to the Russian state, second degree. Tim Scholl is professor of Russian language and literature at Oberlin College. Antonina W. Bouis is the prize-winning translator of more than fifty books, including fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs by such figures as Andrei Sakharov, Elena Bonner, and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Plisetskaya recounts the execution of her father in the Great Terror and her mother’s exile to the Gulag. She describes her admission to the Bolshoi in 1943, the roles she performed there, and the endless petty harassments she endured, from both envious colleagues and Party officials. Refused permission for six years to tour with the company, Plisetskaya eventually performed all over the world, working with such noted choreographers as Roland Petit and Maurice Béjart. She recounts the tumultuous events she lived through and the fascinating people she met—among them the legendary ballet teacher Agrippina Vaganova, George Balanchine, Frank Sinatra, Rudolf Nureyev, and Dmitri Shostakovich. And she provides fascinating details about testy cocktail-party encounters with Khrushchev, tours abroad when her meager per diem allowance brought her close to starvation, and KGB plots to capitalize on her friendship with Robert Kennedy. Gifted, courageous, and brutally honest, Plisetskaya brilliantly illuminates the world of Soviet ballet during an era that encompasses both repression and cultural détente.
Still prima ballerina assoluta with the Bolshoi Ballet, Maya Plisetskaya also travels around the world performing and lecturing. At the Bolshoi’s gala celebrating her 75th birthday, President Vladimir Putin presented her with Russia’s highest civilian honor, the medal for service to the Russian state, second degree. Tim Scholl is professor of Russian language and literature at Oberlin College. Antonina W. Bouis is the prize-winning translator of more than fifty books, including fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs by such figures as Andrei Sakharov, Elena Bonner, and Dmitri Shostakovich.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1991
29 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
About the author
Maya Plisetskaya
3 books2 followersMaya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya (Russian: Майя Михайловна Плисецкая) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress, who held Spanish and Lithuanian citizenship.] She danced during the Soviet era at the same time as Galina Ulanova, another famed Russian ballerina. In 1960 she ascended to Ulanova's former title as prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi.
Plisetskaya studied ballet from age nine and first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre when she was eleven. She joined the Bolshoi Ballet company when she was eighteen, quickly rising to become their leading soloist. Her early years were also marked by political repression, however, partly because her family was Jewish. She was not allowed to tour outside the country for sixteen years after joining the Bolshoi. During those years, her fame as a national ballerina was used to project the Soviet Union's achievements during the Cold War. Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who lifted her travel ban in 1959, considered her "not only the best ballerina in the Soviet Union, but the best in the world."
As a member of the Bolshoi until 1990, her skill as a dancer changed the world of ballet, setting a higher standard for ballerinas both in terms of technical brilliance and dramatic presence. As a soloist, Plisetskaya created a number of leading roles, including Moiseyev’s Spartacus (1958); Grigorovich’s The Stone Flower (1959); Aurora in Grigorovich’s The Sleeping Beauty (1963); Alberto Alonso’s Carmen Suite (1967), written especially for her; and Maurice Bejart’s Isadora (1976). Among her most acclaimed roles was Odette-Odile in Swan Lake (1947). A fellow dancer stated that her dramatic portrayal of Carmen, reportedly her favorite role, "helped confirm her as a legend, and the ballet soon took its place as a landmark in the Bolshoi repertoire." Her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin, wrote the scores to a number of her ballets.
Having become “an international superstar” and a continuous “box office hit throughout the world,” Plisetskaya was treated by the Soviet Union as a favored cultural emissary. Although she toured extensively during the same years that other dancers defected, including Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plisetskaya always refused to defect. Beginning in 1994, she presided over the annual international ballet competitions, called Maya, and in 1996 she was named President of the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Plisetskaya was a naturalized citizen of Lithuania and Spain.
Plisetskaya studied ballet from age nine and first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre when she was eleven. She joined the Bolshoi Ballet company when she was eighteen, quickly rising to become their leading soloist. Her early years were also marked by political repression, however, partly because her family was Jewish. She was not allowed to tour outside the country for sixteen years after joining the Bolshoi. During those years, her fame as a national ballerina was used to project the Soviet Union's achievements during the Cold War. Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who lifted her travel ban in 1959, considered her "not only the best ballerina in the Soviet Union, but the best in the world."
As a member of the Bolshoi until 1990, her skill as a dancer changed the world of ballet, setting a higher standard for ballerinas both in terms of technical brilliance and dramatic presence. As a soloist, Plisetskaya created a number of leading roles, including Moiseyev’s Spartacus (1958); Grigorovich’s The Stone Flower (1959); Aurora in Grigorovich’s The Sleeping Beauty (1963); Alberto Alonso’s Carmen Suite (1967), written especially for her; and Maurice Bejart’s Isadora (1976). Among her most acclaimed roles was Odette-Odile in Swan Lake (1947). A fellow dancer stated that her dramatic portrayal of Carmen, reportedly her favorite role, "helped confirm her as a legend, and the ballet soon took its place as a landmark in the Bolshoi repertoire." Her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin, wrote the scores to a number of her ballets.
Having become “an international superstar” and a continuous “box office hit throughout the world,” Plisetskaya was treated by the Soviet Union as a favored cultural emissary. Although she toured extensively during the same years that other dancers defected, including Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plisetskaya always refused to defect. Beginning in 1994, she presided over the annual international ballet competitions, called Maya, and in 1996 she was named President of the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Plisetskaya was a naturalized citizen of Lithuania and Spain.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 21, 2021
Autobiogrāfija, kas brīnišķīgi atklāj autores personību - viņa ir stūraina un ērkšķaina, tieša un skarba, vīzdegunīga un kaprīza, taču vienlaikus arī dzīvesgudra, asprātīga un gaiša. Cilvēks, kas neaizmirst ļauno un līdz mūža galam atceras labo. Profesionāle līdz matu galiņiem, kurai vienmēr rūpējis izraudzītā mākslas veida liktenis. Padomju baleta stagnācijas raksturojums asā diskusijā ar kādu mākslas sfēras birokrātu vien ir ko vērts: "Как плесневел, так и будет плесневеть!" Nemaz jau nerunājot par indīgo aprakstu, kā bada maizē turētie krievu baleta mākslinieki ārzemju viesizrāžu laikā spiesti vārīt zirņu zupu uz spirta plītiņas viesnīcas numurā vai cept suņiem domātu steiku starp diviem gludekļiem. Vārdu sakot - baudījums žanra cienītājiem. Iesaku!
December 26, 2015
Absolutely adorable, especially the parts where she wrote about her life with her husband, Rodion Shchedrin.
Read
December 12, 2020Əvvəlcə kitabın ikinci hissəsini oxuduğumu yazmışdım. Mənim səhvimi təkrarlamayın, hətta ikinci heç oxumayın, bu hissə Mayya xanımla tanış olmaq üçün idealdır. Həm xarakterini, həm balet sevgisini anlayırıq. SSRİ-in kefinə görə necə insanları dəmir pərdəsi arxasında saxladığını görürük. Plisetskayanı qastrollara buraxılmadığı, lakin bütün xarici qonaqların səfərləri zamanı qabardılaraq üzə çıxarıldığını oxuduqda bu hadisələrin ölkə üçün necə tipik olduğunu düşünürəm. Keçən il Fidan və Xuraman Hacıyeva bacılarının yaradıcılığı barədə kitab oxumuşdum. Beynəlxalq müsabiqələrin birində qalib olan bacıları Milana təhsil üçün dəvət edirlər, hökümət də onların yerinə cavab verir ki, özünüz deyirsiz ki, yaxşı oxuyurlar day Milanda təhsil nələrinə lazımdır. Heç olmasa, Plisetskayanın populyarlığı onun köməyinə çatır. Qastrolları barədə danışarkən, Azərbaycandan Rəşid Behbudovun adını çəkməsi isə üzümdə təbəssüm yaradırdı. Bu yaxınlarda balerinanın Qu gölündən olan kardları qarşıma çıxmışdı. Kitabı oxusanız, paralel olaraq, onun bu rollarını axtarıb baxmağınızı məsləhət görürəm.
May 1, 2015
The truth behind the Iron Curtain of ballet's greatest mother country, Russia. I know ballet didn't officially start here, but let's face it: Russia OWNS ballet now. And, Maya P. is a goddess, a warrior, and a miracle. Photographs of here dancing en pointe past the age of 60, looking like she's 30, and talking about eating cat food to survive on the salary Russia gave her even while throngs of fans worshipped her... this book is INSPIRING.
She is one of my all-time ballet heroines, and I hope someone will make a film about her journey.
She is one of my all-time ballet heroines, and I hope someone will make a film about her journey.
October 18, 2022
Tätä kirjaa suositeltiin Jodelin @kirjojenystävät-kanavalla, enkä entuudestaan tiennyt elämäkerran päähenkilöä. Oli kiinnostavaa oppia baletin maailmasta ja Plisetskajan osin mutkikkaastakin elämästä Neuvostoliitossa.
May 27, 2018
Непростой она человек, но каким ей ещё быть. Вряд ли бывали примы-очаровашки, не тот вид искусства. Пишет очень интересно, удерживается от сплетен, много говорит о профессии, нюансах спектаклей (как запоминала последовательности в бежаровском «болеро», как ставились знаменитые одноактные спектакли). Попадается фэтшейминг: неприятные люди часто у неё дородные, дебелые, многопудовые и тд. Подозреваю, для балетных мы все очень толстые.
July 6, 2021
Since I read the another book on ballet, I decided to add this as well.
Her life was very interesting and worth the read
Her life was very interesting and worth the read
August 6, 2015
Huomaan olevani Elämäkertoja Neuvosto-Venäjältä -putkessa. Olen lukenut tänä kesänä molemmat Haapasalot ja nyt tämän taipuisista käsivarsistaan tunnetun tanssijan elämäkerran. Vuonna 1925 syntynyt Maija Plisetskaja ehti kokea Neuvostoliiton kaikessa paskamaisuudessaan (lievempi adjektiivi ei olisi tehnyt tälle oikeutta). Toisin kuin moni muu aikansa kuuluisa tanssija, hän ei kuitenkaan koskaan loikannut länteen. Syitä kyllä olisi riittänyt!
Plisetskaja aloittaa tarinansa lapsuudestaan ja nuoruudestaan. Isä, innokas kommunisti, pidätetään Maijan ollessa 12-vuotias, eikä perhe kuule hänen kohtalostaan mitään kymmeniin vuosiin (ammuttu). Myös äiti vangitaan, mutta hänet vapautetaan kahdeksan vuoden kuluttua sinnikkäiden vetoomusten jälkeen. Maija asuu tädillään, jonka suurinta huvia on valittaa tytön aiheuttamista vaivoista ja kustannuksista. Tältä pohjalta Plisetskaja aloittaa uransa Bolsoi-baletissa Moskovassa.
Systeemi on mätä! Ihmisiä vangitaan, ammutaan tai lähetetään tykin ruoaksi sotaan tuosta vain. Lähes jokaista johtajan virkaa istuttaa ahne pikku-diktaattori, ja ainoa tapa selvitä on pysyä nöyränä. Jokaisesta uhmakkaasta eleestä saa maksaa kalliisti, vaikka olisit rakastettu balleriina, kuten Plisetskaja. Eräskin KGB-nilkki järjesti hänelle elinikäisen matkustuskiellon, josta hän pääsi eroon vasta vuosien taistelun ja tuskailun jälkeen.
Ulkomaanmatkoilla koko neuvosto-systeemin pikkumaisuus ja ahneus näkyi erityisen hyvin. Bolsoi-baletti ja sen tanssijat tekivät ahkerasti ulkomaankiertueita, joista maksettiin suuria palkkioita - johtoportaalle. Tanssijoiden oli otettava rahat käteisenä, säilytettävä niitä koko kiertueen ajan ja salakuljetettava ne takaisin Neuvostoliittoon täysimääräisinä. Nämä rahat menivät korruptioon ja isokenkäisten kukkaroihin, kun taas työn tehneet tanssijat saivat niin mitättömiä päivärahoja, ettei niillä ostettu edes kunnon ruokaa. Kuin orjat nälkäpalkalla! Jos hotellissa oli aamiainen, venäläisseurue putsasi buffet-pöydän ennen kuin istumaan ehtivät. Jos ruoka oli hankittava itse, se oli halvinta mitä rahalla sai. Erityisen suosittuja olivat kissojen ja koirien vitaminoidut ruuat, jotka kypsennettiin pihveiksi hotellin silitysraudoilla.. Jokaisesta ostoksesta oli tietenkin säilytettävä kuitti ja hankittava siihen merkintä kyseisen päivän ruplan kurssista. KGB-valvojat seurasivat tanssijoita kuin hait raportoiden esimiehilleen milloin liioiteltuja, milloin täysin sepitettyjä tarinoita tanssijoiden epäkelvosta käytöksestä. Ainoa keino selvitä valheista ja byrokraattien päähänpistoista oli tehdä vetoomuksia kaikille mahdollisille tutun tutun tutuille, joilla oli vaikutusvaltaa. Tässä suhteessa systeemi ei ole muuttunut neuvostoajoista, sillä Haapasalo kertoo samanlaisesta toiminnasta: Suhteet ovat kaikki kaikessa. Valtiossa mikään ei toimi, mutta sinnikkäällä yrittämisellä ja suhteisiin vetoamalla moni asia kuitenkin järjestyy.
Kylläpä innostuin selittämään! No, kirja tosiaan oli oikein mielenkiintoinen. Lukijan ei tarvitse olla kiinnostunut baletista saati tietää siitä mitään ennen kuin kirjan loppupuolella. Näillä viimeisillä sivuilla tarina kadottaa vetonsa, kun Plisetskaja alkaa kuvailla omia projektejaan, ja esimerkiksi oman muusikko-aviomiehen lahjakkuuden kuvaukselle pyhitetään kokonainen luku. Itse poimin viimeisistä luvuista lähinnä kiinnostavilta vaikuttavia balettien nimiä ja taustoja, joihin täytyy tutustua hetimiten :)
Plisetskaja aloittaa tarinansa lapsuudestaan ja nuoruudestaan. Isä, innokas kommunisti, pidätetään Maijan ollessa 12-vuotias, eikä perhe kuule hänen kohtalostaan mitään kymmeniin vuosiin (ammuttu). Myös äiti vangitaan, mutta hänet vapautetaan kahdeksan vuoden kuluttua sinnikkäiden vetoomusten jälkeen. Maija asuu tädillään, jonka suurinta huvia on valittaa tytön aiheuttamista vaivoista ja kustannuksista. Tältä pohjalta Plisetskaja aloittaa uransa Bolsoi-baletissa Moskovassa.
Systeemi on mätä! Ihmisiä vangitaan, ammutaan tai lähetetään tykin ruoaksi sotaan tuosta vain. Lähes jokaista johtajan virkaa istuttaa ahne pikku-diktaattori, ja ainoa tapa selvitä on pysyä nöyränä. Jokaisesta uhmakkaasta eleestä saa maksaa kalliisti, vaikka olisit rakastettu balleriina, kuten Plisetskaja. Eräskin KGB-nilkki järjesti hänelle elinikäisen matkustuskiellon, josta hän pääsi eroon vasta vuosien taistelun ja tuskailun jälkeen.
Ulkomaanmatkoilla koko neuvosto-systeemin pikkumaisuus ja ahneus näkyi erityisen hyvin. Bolsoi-baletti ja sen tanssijat tekivät ahkerasti ulkomaankiertueita, joista maksettiin suuria palkkioita - johtoportaalle. Tanssijoiden oli otettava rahat käteisenä, säilytettävä niitä koko kiertueen ajan ja salakuljetettava ne takaisin Neuvostoliittoon täysimääräisinä. Nämä rahat menivät korruptioon ja isokenkäisten kukkaroihin, kun taas työn tehneet tanssijat saivat niin mitättömiä päivärahoja, ettei niillä ostettu edes kunnon ruokaa. Kuin orjat nälkäpalkalla! Jos hotellissa oli aamiainen, venäläisseurue putsasi buffet-pöydän ennen kuin istumaan ehtivät. Jos ruoka oli hankittava itse, se oli halvinta mitä rahalla sai. Erityisen suosittuja olivat kissojen ja koirien vitaminoidut ruuat, jotka kypsennettiin pihveiksi hotellin silitysraudoilla.. Jokaisesta ostoksesta oli tietenkin säilytettävä kuitti ja hankittava siihen merkintä kyseisen päivän ruplan kurssista. KGB-valvojat seurasivat tanssijoita kuin hait raportoiden esimiehilleen milloin liioiteltuja, milloin täysin sepitettyjä tarinoita tanssijoiden epäkelvosta käytöksestä. Ainoa keino selvitä valheista ja byrokraattien päähänpistoista oli tehdä vetoomuksia kaikille mahdollisille tutun tutun tutuille, joilla oli vaikutusvaltaa. Tässä suhteessa systeemi ei ole muuttunut neuvostoajoista, sillä Haapasalo kertoo samanlaisesta toiminnasta: Suhteet ovat kaikki kaikessa. Valtiossa mikään ei toimi, mutta sinnikkäällä yrittämisellä ja suhteisiin vetoamalla moni asia kuitenkin järjestyy.
Kylläpä innostuin selittämään! No, kirja tosiaan oli oikein mielenkiintoinen. Lukijan ei tarvitse olla kiinnostunut baletista saati tietää siitä mitään ennen kuin kirjan loppupuolella. Näillä viimeisillä sivuilla tarina kadottaa vetonsa, kun Plisetskaja alkaa kuvailla omia projektejaan, ja esimerkiksi oman muusikko-aviomiehen lahjakkuuden kuvaukselle pyhitetään kokonainen luku. Itse poimin viimeisistä luvuista lähinnä kiinnostavilta vaikuttavia balettien nimiä ja taustoja, joihin täytyy tutustua hetimiten :)
December 22, 2020
Сложно было читать воспоминания великой балерины.
Непонятно, какая была у Майи цель — рассказать, как было сложно жить, вспомнить обидчиков или показать истинную цену советского балета.
Я, к сожалению, огорчилась за призму такого опыта.
Непонятно, какая была у Майи цель — рассказать, как было сложно жить, вспомнить обидчиков или показать истинную цену советского балета.
Я, к сожалению, огорчилась за призму такого опыта.
January 17, 2021
Good memoirs of a very decent person.
I was never especially interested in reading about Soviet artistic “elite,” such as Майя Плисецкая, and I am definitely not into ballet or theater overall. Moreover, I have seen only quite unimpressive quotes from this book before (mostly about how little Soviet artists were paid by the government), so I thought there you should not expect much from this book beyond this. However, I somehow noted this book for myself, and I can say now that it was much better and interesting than I suspected it would be.
First of all, I liked the personality of Майя Плисецкая a lot — and you can see it from this book very well. You almost hear her alive voice and the electric energy of her strong temperament. The narrative style of the text is very specific and characteristic of Майя Плисецкая: bold, ardent, cocky, natural.
Then, I was surprised to learn that both parents of Майя Плисецкая (and many of her other relatives and close friends) were repressed in the 1930s (the father was killed in 1937, and the mother with her newborn baby son (!) was sent to the GULAG and then life in exile just because she was a wife of “an enemy of people”), and teenager Майя was adopted by her aunt because of this. This is especially striking considering that Майя Плисецкая still was allowed to have a splendid, internationally famous career in ballet despite all this.
She tells about this shortly, without many details, as this is basically not her own story, only a prelude to her life, and most of the book is indeed dedicated to her work in ballet. As I already said, I am not into ballet much, and I find quite ridiculous to read about ballet (instead of watching it), but Майя Плисецкая still talks about all this as interesting and passionately as possible. What I was especially interested in is that how even ballet (not even literature or any other form of art where you can relay some independent and potentially “dangerous” thoughts and ideas) was a highly “political” matter in the USSR. You can read here about various intrigues, elements of censorship, and overall a constant fight between artists and the government/ideology. In case of Майя Плисецкая, this fight was a mostly silent but vehement one, as all abroad tours and performances were forbidden for her for a long time, although she already was a world-wide famous ballerina, a powerful trademark of “Russian ballet.” It’s very interesting to read how even on this level, the government and KGB were always “on alert,” always followed everything, always interfered into everything, and how any independent expression was always an act of defiance if not an obvious protest, and always considered a provocation and dissidence of some sort.
Майя Плисецкая was never a dissident, of course, but she always had some strong opinions about the idiocy of the Soviet life and all this ideological shit. I suppose she managed to maintain a fine balance between being her own person inside herself and among people close to her — and being used as one of the key Soviet trademarks. In other words, she never became a sincere supporter and promoter of the Soviet propaganda (as many great Soviet artists did), and after the death of the USSR, she chose to live with her husband in Munich, Germany, only visiting Russia from time to time for work and other matters. Yes, she never returned to Russia, although she lived quite a long time after this (she died very recently, in 2015, at the age of 89), and never joined its state propaganda, despite that she was most certainly asked to do this all the time; they would give anything for this, and many famous personalities were returning to Russia in the 2000-2010s because of it and publicly “supported” its hideous policies. She was always a very independent person, and you can feel it from the memoirs very much.
I was also amazed by the longevity of Майя Плисецкая’s artistic career. I thought that ballerinas have a short performance lifespan: probably until they are 35-37? and then they just have to retire from the scene and resort to teaching classes or something like this. Майя Плисецкая was dancing on the Big Scene, including her classical program like «Умирающий лебедь», into a very, very advanced age!
“Свое пятидесятилетие я отмечала премьерой бежаровского «Болеро» в Брюсселе.
Шестидесятилетие — премьерой «Дамы с собачкой».
Как водится, балерины празднуют этот сволочной возраст, горделиво восседая в лучах прожекторов в ближней к сцене драпированной ложе. И каждый из занятых в танцевальном вечере в честь юбилярши Абвгдеж чинно, с манерным поклоном преподносит оной пышные букеты. К концу вечера знатная дама Абвгдеж засыпана цветами по самый подбородок, словно покойница.
Мне же в свой вечер предстояло потрудиться вдосталь: «Дама» — пятьдесят минут, «Кармен-сюита» — сорок шесть. Я почти все время на сцене. Но — выдержала. Победила. И без пошлой скромности хочу написать об этом. Для будущих коллекционеров театральных хроник.”
Isn’t it awesome?!
Wikipedia says: “После увольнения из театра в 1990 году не оставила сцену, продолжая участвовать в концертах, давала мастер-классы. В день своего 70-летия дебютировала в номере «Аве Майя», поставленном для неё Морисом Бежаром.” Extraordinary artist.
I was never especially interested in reading about Soviet artistic “elite,” such as Майя Плисецкая, and I am definitely not into ballet or theater overall. Moreover, I have seen only quite unimpressive quotes from this book before (mostly about how little Soviet artists were paid by the government), so I thought there you should not expect much from this book beyond this. However, I somehow noted this book for myself, and I can say now that it was much better and interesting than I suspected it would be.
First of all, I liked the personality of Майя Плисецкая a lot — and you can see it from this book very well. You almost hear her alive voice and the electric energy of her strong temperament. The narrative style of the text is very specific and characteristic of Майя Плисецкая: bold, ardent, cocky, natural.
Then, I was surprised to learn that both parents of Майя Плисецкая (and many of her other relatives and close friends) were repressed in the 1930s (the father was killed in 1937, and the mother with her newborn baby son (!) was sent to the GULAG and then life in exile just because she was a wife of “an enemy of people”), and teenager Майя was adopted by her aunt because of this. This is especially striking considering that Майя Плисецкая still was allowed to have a splendid, internationally famous career in ballet despite all this.
She tells about this shortly, without many details, as this is basically not her own story, only a prelude to her life, and most of the book is indeed dedicated to her work in ballet. As I already said, I am not into ballet much, and I find quite ridiculous to read about ballet (instead of watching it), but Майя Плисецкая still talks about all this as interesting and passionately as possible. What I was especially interested in is that how even ballet (not even literature or any other form of art where you can relay some independent and potentially “dangerous” thoughts and ideas) was a highly “political” matter in the USSR. You can read here about various intrigues, elements of censorship, and overall a constant fight between artists and the government/ideology. In case of Майя Плисецкая, this fight was a mostly silent but vehement one, as all abroad tours and performances were forbidden for her for a long time, although she already was a world-wide famous ballerina, a powerful trademark of “Russian ballet.” It’s very interesting to read how even on this level, the government and KGB were always “on alert,” always followed everything, always interfered into everything, and how any independent expression was always an act of defiance if not an obvious protest, and always considered a provocation and dissidence of some sort.
Майя Плисецкая was never a dissident, of course, but she always had some strong opinions about the idiocy of the Soviet life and all this ideological shit. I suppose she managed to maintain a fine balance between being her own person inside herself and among people close to her — and being used as one of the key Soviet trademarks. In other words, she never became a sincere supporter and promoter of the Soviet propaganda (as many great Soviet artists did), and after the death of the USSR, she chose to live with her husband in Munich, Germany, only visiting Russia from time to time for work and other matters. Yes, she never returned to Russia, although she lived quite a long time after this (she died very recently, in 2015, at the age of 89), and never joined its state propaganda, despite that she was most certainly asked to do this all the time; they would give anything for this, and many famous personalities were returning to Russia in the 2000-2010s because of it and publicly “supported” its hideous policies. She was always a very independent person, and you can feel it from the memoirs very much.
I was also amazed by the longevity of Майя Плисецкая’s artistic career. I thought that ballerinas have a short performance lifespan: probably until they are 35-37? and then they just have to retire from the scene and resort to teaching classes or something like this. Майя Плисецкая was dancing on the Big Scene, including her classical program like «Умирающий лебедь», into a very, very advanced age!
“Свое пятидесятилетие я отмечала премьерой бежаровского «Болеро» в Брюсселе.
Шестидесятилетие — премьерой «Дамы с собачкой».
Как водится, балерины празднуют этот сволочной возраст, горделиво восседая в лучах прожекторов в ближней к сцене драпированной ложе. И каждый из занятых в танцевальном вечере в честь юбилярши Абвгдеж чинно, с манерным поклоном преподносит оной пышные букеты. К концу вечера знатная дама Абвгдеж засыпана цветами по самый подбородок, словно покойница.
Мне же в свой вечер предстояло потрудиться вдосталь: «Дама» — пятьдесят минут, «Кармен-сюита» — сорок шесть. Я почти все время на сцене. Но — выдержала. Победила. И без пошлой скромности хочу написать об этом. Для будущих коллекционеров театральных хроник.”
Isn’t it awesome?!
Wikipedia says: “После увольнения из театра в 1990 году не оставила сцену, продолжая участвовать в концертах, давала мастер-классы. В день своего 70-летия дебютировала в номере «Аве Майя», поставленном для неё Морисом Бежаром.” Extraordinary artist.
January 29, 2023
"Kakšno je moje življenjsko spoznanje, moja življenjska filozofija? Najbolj preprosta. Preprosta kot kozarec vode, kot vdih. Ljudje se ne delijo na razrede, rase ali državne sisteme. Ljudje se delijo na dobre in slabe. Na zelo dobre zelo slabe. Krvoločni revolucionarji, ki so se fanatično zaklinjali, da bodo slabe ljudi končno zamenjali le tisti dobri, so se zgolj širokoustili, lagali. Od nekdaj je slabih več, veliko več. Dobri ljuje so vedno izjema, dar nebes."
Danes stoji spomenik prima ballerini assoluti v centru Moskve, v neposredni bližini njenega Bolšoj teatra, v katerem je plesala petdeset let. Maja Plisecka je v avtobiografskih spominih popisala in ocenila svojo baletno (plesno in koreografsko) ustvarjalnost, svoje življenje v ZSSR, ki je tragično podobno drugim zgodbam iz stalinističnih in komunističnih sovjetskih časov, odkrito obračunala s sovražniki ("Rane se zacelijo, a brazgotine ostanejo.") in se s hvaležnostjo spomnila prijateljev. Grozne življenjske okoliščine in bleščeče zmage neukrotljivega, nezlomljivega duha so jo naredile to, za kar danes velja - eno največjih plesalk vseh časov. Kot pravi sama… za pisateljem ostane knjiga, za skladateljem glasba, za balerino le spomin. Kljub temu - čeprav magije živega glexališča ne more pričarati nič drugega kot predstava, obstajajo posnetki, ki nezmotljivo pričajo o izpovedni moči 'umirajočega laboda' ali o veličastni prezenci v Bejartovem / Ravelovem Boleru…
Danes stoji spomenik prima ballerini assoluti v centru Moskve, v neposredni bližini njenega Bolšoj teatra, v katerem je plesala petdeset let. Maja Plisecka je v avtobiografskih spominih popisala in ocenila svojo baletno (plesno in koreografsko) ustvarjalnost, svoje življenje v ZSSR, ki je tragično podobno drugim zgodbam iz stalinističnih in komunističnih sovjetskih časov, odkrito obračunala s sovražniki ("Rane se zacelijo, a brazgotine ostanejo.") in se s hvaležnostjo spomnila prijateljev. Grozne življenjske okoliščine in bleščeče zmage neukrotljivega, nezlomljivega duha so jo naredile to, za kar danes velja - eno največjih plesalk vseh časov. Kot pravi sama… za pisateljem ostane knjiga, za skladateljem glasba, za balerino le spomin. Kljub temu - čeprav magije živega glexališča ne more pričarati nič drugega kot predstava, obstajajo posnetki, ki nezmotljivo pričajo o izpovedni moči 'umirajočega laboda' ali o veličastni prezenci v Bejartovem / Ravelovem Boleru…
October 18, 2025
Балетът изобщо не е в сферата на моите интереси, но се заинтересувах от книгата, когато във връзка с "Музите говорят" на Труман Капоти, разказващ за турнето на трупата на "Поргий и Бес" в Русия, попаднах на подобен разказ на Мая Плисецкая за турнетата на Болшой театр в САЩ, където хотелите пропищели от готвещите в стаята танцьори, а организаторите се принудили да поемат изхранването, за да не припадат изпълнителите от глад на сцената. Книгата започна бодро и интересно, но към средата се превърна в сводка на участията и спектаклите на Плисецкая и малко ми досади, та се наложи да я довършвам на инат. Г-жа Плисецкая може да е голям талант, но иначе създава впечатление на студен и егоистичен човек.
Прочетено в оригинал.
Прочетено в оригинал.
December 28, 2019
Ši autobiografija paremta prisiminimais iš dienoraščio, kurioje puikiai perteikiamas XX amžiaus baleto legendos tapusios balerinos kūrybos laisvės suvaržymas, nuolatinė kova komunizmo laikais(pvz., ilgą laiką jos neišleido šokti užsienio šalyse), aprašomi jos gyvenimą keitę ir lydėję - tiek trukdę, tiek palaikę žmonės. Autorės žodis tiesus ir gilus.
Įdomiausia buvo skaityti, kai buvo rašoma apie patį baletą, pasiruošimą, ką reiškia būti balerina.. - to šioje knygoje norėjosi daugiau.
Taip pat šią knygą prisiminsiu, kaip knygą, kurioje daug daugtaškių...
Įdomiausia buvo skaityti, kai buvo rašoma apie patį baletą, pasiruošimą, ką reiškia būti balerina.. - to šioje knygoje norėjosi daugiau.
Taip pat šią knygą prisiminsiu, kaip knygą, kurioje daug daugtaškių...
May 20, 2018
I was completely amazed by this book: it's so sincere, catching and sometimes shocking. I tried to read it as much as possible and sometimes couldn't stop till the deep night. A couple of times I stopped reading to cry. Couldn't imagine how it could have been possible to do any artwork in such strict and stupid regime as Soviet. I'm glad that I read this book and now know more about Maya Plisetskaya and some great ballet artists, choreographers, and musicians.
June 14, 2022
Книга без ярких художественных достоинств, но она неплохо рассказывает о жизненном пути Майи Плесецкой и очень хорошо показывает рабовладельческую сущность Советского государства. Даже артисты с мировым именем как Майя были просто бесправными крепостными, работали за копейки на карман партийных хозяев, униженные и нищетой и полной властью над их творчеством серых и ограниченных чиновников.
April 20, 2023
this is quite a good autobiography. if you're interested in the history of soviet ballet, it may even be a great one! but for a reader who isn't especially familiar with ballet, there is a lot of skimming to be done.
September 25, 2017
Удивительная, невероятная, прекрасная женщина!
August 26, 2020
восторг. удивительная женщина, сильный характер и острый язык, ясность мысли и самоирония
отдельно от содержания - неожиданно хорошо написано.
отдельно от содержания - неожиданно хорошо написано.
Read
February 5, 2025What a force of personality. I wish just once I could have seen her.
March 11, 2024
Baleta dīva Maija Pļisecka ir atstājusi vienreizēju liecību par to, kā ir būt māksliniekam Padomju laika Krievijā. Cenzūra, aizliegumi izceļot no valsts, Staļina represijas utt utt utt… Bet tam visam pa vidu Maijas nesalaužamā mīlestība pret baletu.
May 6, 2016
A truly inspiring story of a talented woman, who despite the overwhelming reining communist regime succeedes in making a brilliant career. The societal background is well-explained even to the Western readers, who haven't experienced life in the USSR, which seems quite unbelievably harsh and unfair at times. M.Plissetskaya is definitely one of those strong women, who understands the reality of a desperate situation, but maintains her fixity of purpose nethertheless. The book seems to frankly dissert the whole life of M.Plissetskaya from the early years, without trying to conceal neither the embitterment about the behaviour of the people that M.Plissetskaya regards as "very bad" nor the joy and gratitude towards the "very good" ones. She admits not being objective (and thus empathic?!) towards both "types" (like she says), but still concedes and accepts the existence of both and learns her lesson from them. The cherry on top of the cake is her irony and humour flowing throughout the book.
February 24, 2014
Читается очень тяжело. Майя Плисецкая всю жизнь вела дневник, в котором подробно записывала кто, когда и сколько зла ей сделал. А таких "недоброжелателей", судя по ее воспоминаниям, было очень много, практически весь руководящий класс СССР и, естественно, весь балетный мир. Это главная тема ее книги: взрывная смесь из мании преследования ("меня все всегда ненавидели"), цинизма ("никому никогда ничего не нужно было кроме денег, славы и власти"), ненависти к своему окружению и страшного злопамятства замаскированного под жажду справедливости. Только усилием воли можно дочитать все это до конца. Лучше бы автор потратила свое время и силы на что-то более продуктивное.
October 22, 2012
This one was tough to get through, as I wasn't really in the mood for a book that was so all over the place. To be fair, it was an acceptable format for memoirs. It did have some very interesting parts interspersed all through. But I did also get lost in the Russian names at some points.
September 29, 2016
Omaelämäkerrassaan ballerina Maija Plisetskaja kertoo vaiheikkaasta elämästään. Välillä mukana on erittäin kiinnostavia kohtia ja aikakausia. Toisinaan taas tylsistyin liian yksityiskohtaiseen ja toisteiseen kerrontaan.
January 1, 2008
She has had an interesting life. I liked getting to hear about what it was like to live in Russia back in the day.
August 24, 2008
Her biography is truly amazing and you learn a lot about what ballet used to be like / how Russia was a couple of decades ago.
It also has some beautiful pictures of Maya!
It also has some beautiful pictures of Maya!
May 21, 2013
Amazing life, good book
September 27, 2024
Una de las mejores autobiografías que he leído en mi vida. Llena de Historia y amor a la danza. Perfecta.
May 1, 2017
I am so in love with this book and this divine woman! She is not a writer but I wasn't bored a second. Absolutely love her humorous way of telling about unimaginable difficulties of her life and ridiculous obstacles poor artists need to overcome at Soviet Union. And how she tells about her husband! So much love and wisdom in her book. Must read for sure.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews