Rupert Christiansen

White Swan

Tatiana Leskova: A Ballerina at Large (Translated by Donald E Scrimgeour)

By

Quartet Books 312pp £18 order from our bookshop

Russian ballerinas are a race apart. They seem to live until they are a hundred and even on their deathbeds can still turn a pirouette or hold an arabesque. Their spines are steel ramrods, their memories elephantine. They can also be a wee bit obstreperous.

Follow Literary Review on Twitter