A book about ballet as a document of a bygone era

Abstract

The material is dedicated to the reissue of Yuri Slonimsky’s book “The Soviet Ballet” (1950). The book by an outstanding ballet researcher-historian, critic, librettist was published 74 years ago, but has never been republished. The reason for the negative assessment of fundamental art historical work is its excessive ideologization. The reason for the author’s dependence on communist party and government guidelines is the brutal campaign launched at the end of the 1940s against critics of the “cosmopolitans,” to which Slonimsky belonged. However, this does not detract from the artistic and historical significance of the book, which contains extensive information material layered with reflections on the specifics of ballet art. Among other things, the book is perceived today as an indicative document of a bygone era.