Superb biography...the definitive life of Diaghilev -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *
An important new biography...Scheijen begins at the end, with a magnificent meditation on his subject's death in Venice...Drawing on a great deal of new research...Scheijen puts Diaghilev into a different frame to any of his previous biographers...He debunks many of the myths...Scheijen masterfully recounts the phenomenal way in which Diaghilev contrived, under virtually impossible circumstances, to nurture a sequence of works...Where Scheijen triumphs is in making clear the degree to which, despite the cosmopolitanism of so much of the work, Russia was at the core of Diaghilev -- Simon Callow * Guardian *
Reading this biography is as stimulating as plugging yourself into the national grid -- Frances Wilson * Sunday Times Best Biographies of 2009 *
Magnificent...filled with extraordinary glamour -- Rupert Christiansen * Mail on Sunday *
Scheijen's portrait is drawn with a sharp nib -- Luke Jennings * Observer *
It's a fabulous, complicated, very sexy story and Sjeng Scheijen takes us through it with a steadying calm that fudges none of the outrage on or off stage -- Duncan Fallowell * Daily Express *
a revelation...a remarkable achievement -- Andrew Green * Classical Music Magazine *
A joy to handle and a lucid pleasure to read -- David Nice * BBC Music Magazine *
Compelling -- Clement Crisp * Dancing Times *
the clarity of his narrative, and his return to original sources, makes you realize anew just how extraordinary Diaghilev's achievement was -- Sarah Crompton * Daily Telegraph *
[an] eloquent tribute -- Marc O'Sullivan * Irish Examiner *
Sjeng Scheijen's new book about Diaghilev is absolutely wonderful. It is filled with the most fascinating information and is a completely intriguing read...[an] exceptional book -- Monica Mason, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet
Sjeng Scheijen's Diaghilev: A Life is the first biography to do justice to one of the twentieth century's most remarkable personalities -- Lynn Garafola, Professor of Dance, Barnard
Scheijen's book turned out to be an absolute revelation. From the moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. For two days, almost continuously, I read and marvelled at the wealth of new information the author had managed to collect -- Rudi van Dantzig, Artistic Director at the Dutch National Ballet 1971-1991
Immensely readable...A Life is terrific - a must for anyone intrigued by the Ballets Russes -- Anna Hogan * Times Higher Education *