Diaghilev's Empire by Rupert Christiansen

Serge Diaghilev was the Russian impresario who is often said to have invented the modern art form of ballet. Commissioning such legendary names as Nijinsky, Fokine, Stravinsky, and Picasso, this intriguingly complex genius produced a series of radically original art works that had a revolutionary impact throughout the western world. Off stage and in its wake came scandal and sensation, as the great artists and mercurial performers involved variously collaborated, clashed, competed while falling in and out of love with each other on a wild carousel of sexual intrigue and temperamental mayhem. The Ballets Russes not only left a matchless artistic legacy - they changed style and glamour, they changed taste, and they changed social behaviour.
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Deliciously entertaining.' Financial Times
'Scintillating . . .fizzes with balletic energy.' Daily Mail'
Gripping . . .bursting with extraordinary characters and anecdotes.' Sunday Telegraph
'An extraordinary tale, enthrallingly told.' Gramophone