Colum McCann - Dancer

Estimate: $22,500–$30,000

Price: $47,327

Buyer: Telephone

Lot 146:Johann Heinrich Fuseli, R.A: Satan Starting from the Touch of Ithuriel’s Lance

Estimate: $500,000–700,000

Price: $761,500

Buyer: Anonymous

Lot 1356:Attributed to Théodore Géricault, Homme nu a micorps (Man Naked to Waist)

Estimate: $60,000–80,000

Price: $53,578

Buyer: Telephone

Lot 728:A Jamawar Long Shawl, Kashmir, late nineteenth century

Estimate: $ 800–1,500

Price: $5,319

Buyer: R. Ratnawke

Lot 1274:Pre-Revolutionary Russian China Dish in oak box (box damaged)

Estimate: $2,000

Price: $2,750

Buyer: Nikolai Mareneov

Lot 118:Felix Boisselier, A Shepherd Weeping on a Tomb Erected to a Gnat

Estimate: $40,000–60,000

Price: $189,500

Buyer: Private

All lots sold.

In this novel many changes in names and locations have been made to protect the privacy of people living, and also to give a shape to various fictional creations. On occasion, I condensed two or more historical figures into one, or distributed the traits of one person over two or more characters. Some of the attributions made to public figures are exact; others are fictional. For clarity’s sake, I have not always used the diminutive and intimate form for first names commonly employed in Russian.

In the course of researching this book, I was privileged to read a great deal — fiction, non-fiction, journalism, poetry and Internet material — but the following title was invaluable: Nureyev by Diane Solway, which at the time of writing is the definitive biography of Rudolf Nureyev. For those interested in biography I would also strongly recommend the writings of Julie Kavanagh and her forthcoming book on Nureyev. Other books and source material, including films, are too numerous to mention but a special thanks must be given to the staff of the New York Public Libraries, who run such a profoundly important system. Deep thanks must also be given to the American-Irish Historical Society, most especially Dr. Kevin Cahill, Christopher Cahill and Bill Cobert.

There are so many people I must thank for their kindness, help and vision throughout this process: Roman Gerasimov, who was my translator in Russia, Kathleen Keller, Tim Kipp, John and Beverly Berger, John Gorman, Ger Donovan, Irina Kendall, Josh Kendall, Joan Acocella, Lisa Gonzalez, Errol Toran, D.C, Nick Terlizzi, Charlie Orr, Damon Testani, Mary Parvin, Marina Staviskaya, Jason Buzas, Jaco and Elizabeth Groot, Françoise Triffaux, Brigitte Semler, Thomas Ueberhoff, Colm Toibin, Chris Kelly, Emily Tabourin, Alona Kimchi, Tom Kelly, Jimmy Smallhorne, Mikhail Iossel, Radik Kudoyarov, Nikolay Korshun, Ilya Kuznetsov and his friends at the Kirov, Galina Belskaya, Yanni Kotsonis and Myrna Blumberg.

A very special debt of gratitude is owed to all at Phoenix House, Metropolitan Books and the Wylie Agency, most especially Maggie McKernan, Riva Hocherman and Sarah Chalfant.

No thanks would be complete without deep gratitude to my family: Allison, Isabella and John Michael, and to our extended families on both sides of the ocean.

“An engrossing portrait of a man so complex that no mere biography could possibly convey more than a sliver of his personality … The Nureyev who strides impatiently through its pages seems entirely convincing.”

“ Dancer is the most breathtaking tribute to Nureyev since Jamie Wyeth’s famous paintings.”

“Dazzling … an intimate portrait … Dancer is bigger than the dance, bigger than biography, too.… Relish McCann’s dizzy, fascinating glimpse.”

“McCann is a consummate stylist who nonetheless imbues his fiction with the cold stamp of reality.”

“A chorus of voices breathe new life into the story of Nureyev … in this vibrant, imaginative patchwork of a novel.… A kaleidoscopic effect … The novel is a showcase for [McCann’s] fluid prose and storytelling skill.”

“Intimately real.”

“An impressive evocation of life on three continents in the last half of the twentieth century … McCann’s talent lies in imagining a life staged so publicly by creating the intimate lives and stories of those only watching from the wings.”

“ Dancer has the wingspan of a great Russian novel.… This is the book you’ll want to take on a long plane ride; you’ll be so seduced you’ll sip the wine and eschew the dinner.”

“Remarkable: What McCann imagines so beautifully is the way a hero walks through life somewhat differently from the rest of us, the mere breeze of his passing setting off a thousand ripples of change, both good and bad.”

“McCann writes as if the fate of the world depends on it. Worry not, the world is saved. Dancer is a masterpiece.”

Everything in This Country Must

This Side of Brightness

Fishing the Sloe-Black River

Songdogs

Zoli

Let the Great World Spin

Colum McCann is the author of the novels Let the Great World Spin, Zoli, This Side of Brightness, and Songdogs, as well as two story collections. A contributor to The New Yorker, The Atlantic, GQ, The Paris Review, and other publications, he has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, the Rooney Prize, the Hennessy Award, and the inaugural 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Princess Grace Memorial Award. His short film, Everything in This Country Must, was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. His work has been published in thirty languages. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he currently lives with his wife and children in New York City.