Stanley J. Rabinowitz is Professor Emeritus of Russian at Amherst College.
Akim Volynsky, an idealist's idealist, abandoned philosophy for literature, then literature for Russian classical ballet. He wrote obsessively and compellingly about the female dancer as martyr, oracle, and cipher of an art he hoped might change the world. Rabinowitz has produced a mesmerizing, provocative collection of his writings, beautifully translated. -- Simon Morrison, Princeton University Praise for Ballet's Magic Kingdom: Selected Writings on Dance in Russia, 1911-1925 (2011): This is a fantastic book ... The book is a must for anyone claiming a love of ballet ... [Volynsky's text] is always hugely entertaining and surprising, you will never look at a toeshoe, a tiara or a tendu ... the same way again. -- Toni Bentley, The New York Times Book Review