NIJINSKY VASLAV: (1889-1950) Russian Ballet Dancer and Choreographer. Nijinsky is widely regarded as the greatest male Dancer of the early 20th century. He could dance “en pointe”, a rare skill among male dancers at the time. An excellent and rare A.L.S., `W. Nijinsky´, a large and bold signature, three pages, 8vo, Paris, 20th May 1914, on the printed stationery of the Hotel Majestic in Paris, to Sebastien Voirol, in French. A very cleanly written early letter by a young Nijinsky, stating in part `Recevez mes remerciements cincères(sic) pour votre amabilité. Ne sachant pas assez le Français, autant que je le voudrais, je vous prie de me laisser un peu de temps pour lire votre oeuvre, à laquelle je porte un grand intérêt. N´étant à Paris que de passage je regrette infiniment de ne pas avoir…´ (Translation: “Please accept my sincere thanks for your kindness. Not knowing enough French, as much as I would like, I ask you to give me a little time to read your work, in which I have a great interest. Being in Paris only passing through, I regret infinitely not having…”) About EX

Gustav Henrik Lundqvist (1870-1930) Novelist who published his works under the pen name “Sebastien Voirol”. He published in 1920 a work entitled La Danse (“Dance”)

At the time of the present letter Nijinsky is no longer part of the Diaghilev´s Russian Ballets and tries to form his own troupe in England. The announcement a year earlier of his marriage to the young Hungarian Romola de Pulsky had upset so much Diaghilev, his lover, that he dismissed Nijinsky from the company. The couple lived all kind of difficulties during war time even after Nijinsky joined again the Russian Ballets troupe in 1916. At the end of the war, Nijinsky will show the first disturbances of madness, a schizophrenia which will not leave him until his death thirty years later.