Following an unorthodox first meeting in London in 1964, Patricia Boccadoro got to know Rudolf Nureyev on a personal basis after she moved to live in Paris in the 1970s. In this amusing, informative book, she recounts how exciting it was to see him dance in those heady London years, during his legendary partnership with Margot Fonteyn, before giving a lucid account of his directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet, making it into one of the finest companies in the world.

The book culminates with his legacy, demonstrating how, with his extreme intelligence, glamour and passion, he changed the image of the male dancer, making them the equal of the ballerina. Above all, the lively reminiscences of those closest to him, along with a selection of photographs, many rarely seen or unpublished, bring Rudolf to life, casting off the image of a temperamental superstar, and painting a true picture of the immensely kind, fun-loving man behind one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

Patricia Boccadoro was born and educated in England, but moved to France aged twenty-four. Encouraged to write about dance by Nureyev himself, her features have been published in The Dancing Times, The Guardian/Observer and culturekiosque.com, a webzine based in the US, where she was Dance Editor. Patricia lives near Paris with her husband and two cats, and any free time is spent with her nine grandchildren.