Margot Fonteyn - by Meredith Daneman (Paperback)

About the Book

Daneman, a novelist and a former dancer, shares the fascinating story of Peggy Hookham, a little girl from suburban England who grew up to become a dame of the British Empire and the most famous ballerina in the world.

Book Synopsis

Margot Fonteyn began life on the 18th of May, 1919 in Reigate, Surrey, as plain Peggy Hookham. She ended it on the 21st of February, 1991, as Prima Ballerina Assoluta, Dame of the British Empire and the most legendary dancer since Pavlova. Meredith Daneman, with her own extensive background in ballet, tells Fonteyn's story in vivid prose with insight and sensitivity.

Drawing upon extensive research, countless interviews, and exclusive access to never-before-seen letters and diaries--including those of Fonteyn's extraordinary and devoted mother--Daneman presents firsthand remembrances of Fonteyn from a vast array of people who knew her and danced with her during the course of her lengthy career. Margot Fonteyn contains revelations not found in any other account of the ballerina, from insights into Fonteyn's private world (especially regarding her relationship with her mother, the "Black Queen") to her feelings about her fellow dancers and, of course, the men in her life--including choreographer Frederick Ashton, her husband Roberto Arias, and her long-time dance partner and rumored lover Nureyev.

Review Quotes

Danemanas Margot Fonteyn has captured what few know: the heartbreak behind the heroine... the definitive book on this icon. (Toni Bentley, "The New York Times Book Review")

Danemans Margot Fonteyn has captured what few know: the heartbreak behind the heroine... the definitive book on this icon. (Toni Bentley, "The New York Times Book Review")

Daneman's Margot Fonteyn has captured what few know: the heartbreak behind the heroine... the definitive book on this icon. (Toni Bentley, "The New York Times Book Review")

About the Author

Meredith Daneman, a graduate of London's Royal Ballet School and former member of the Australian Ballet Company, is the author of four novels: The Favourite, A Chance To Sit Down, Francie and the Boys, and The Groundling, as well as the biography Margot Fonteyn A Life.