Books That Inspire 2002
 
Days with Ulanova
Albert Kahn


Alfred E. Kahn's book about the legendary Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova has been called "a treasure" by the New York Times, "and one of the half-dozen most beautiful books on ballet ever published" by P. W. Manchester in Dance News.

A copy of Days with Ulanova was my most treasured Christmas gift at the age of thirteen and I spent hours poring over the photographs and text, unaware of the accolades the book had received in the press. From that time until today, throughout my career in dance, Days with Ulanova has provided a treasured, constant source of inspiration. Kahn depicts this revered artist with such sensitivity that the simplicity of her dedication as a student, dancer and teacher is unquestioned. Her appreciation of the relationship between art, nature and discipline (rather than ego) drove her career and the result was a luminosity of person and performance rarely seen in the last century. I return often to Days with Ulanova and find an unending source of wonder at the dancer Tolstoy called "an ordinary goddess" and the writer/photographer whose work keeps her alive for all generations.
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Mary Margaret Holt
Director
School of Dance