Status Updates From Diaghilev's Empire: How the...

the finest work of gossip. more please!

It’s ironic to be reading this book about the enormous influence of Diaghilev and Russian ballet at a time when the entire Western world has been sensitized to the role of Russia and the status of Russian cultural products. That oversimplifies everything, but a status update isn’t the place for a discussion.

Interesting historical fact: Monaco was the poorest state in Europe until its rulers “decided in the 1850s to invent the city of Monte Carlo” and bank on tourism and gambling, like Las Vegas.

I’ve been learning bits and pieces about Diaghilev and his fabled Ballets Russes since I worked on a one-man play about him years ago, but I’ve never read a full account. Though I’m not sure this is it, the book has lots of color and flavor, and it flows like a piece of music.