Dancer

“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.”

— The Baltimore Sun

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

— Esquire

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

— The Miami Herald

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

— The Boston Globe

“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.”

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Intimately real.”

— Time Out New York

“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.”

— Houston Chronicle

“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.”

— Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes

“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.”

— Salon.com

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

— Aleksandar Hemon, author of The Lazarus Project