The Chosen Maiden
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 13, 2017 7:13 PM | Last Updated: March 15, 2017
Eva Stachniak
From their earliest days, the Nijinsky siblings appear destined for the stage. Bronia is a gifted young ballerina, but she is quickly eclipsed by her brother Vaslav. Deemed a prodigy, Vaslav Nijinsky will grow into the greatest, and most provocative, dancer of his time. To prove herself her brother's equal in the rigid world of ballet, Bronia will need to be more than extraordinary, defying society's expectations of what a female dancer can and should be.
The real-life muse behind one of the most spectacular roles in dance, The Rite of Spring's Chosen Maiden, Bronia rises to the heights of modern ballet through grit, resilience and fervor. But when the First World War erupts and rebellion sparks in Russia, Bronia — caught between old and new, traditional and ground-breaking, safe and passionate — must begin her own search for what it means to be modern. (From Doubleday Canada)
From the book
Room 11, Berth 3, SS American Trader.
My last address? For this ship may well become my coffin, sinking here, somewhere between Europe and America, as did SS Athenia on her way to Montreal last month. Now we, too, are a tiny speck on the grey waters of the Atlantic. If we make it, New York will greet us with its skyscrapers, those towering giant lizards, scaly and beautiful. And a new life that might not be that new after all. We make vows in moments of danger then slip back into old habits.
My London contract was cancelled the day Britain declared war on Germany. With all the theatres closed and the clock ticking on our British visas, I signed with Wassily de Basil's company for their Australian tour. If we do go to Australia, that is. We make plans, my mother would remind me, and God laughs.
From The Chosen Maiden by Eva Stachniak ©2017. Published by Doubleday Canada.