Serge Prokofieff: Diaries 1915-1922 - Behind the Mask (hardcover)

The second volume of Sergey Prokofieff’s recently uncovered Diaries extends from 1915 to 1922 - a momentous epoch in European history, in the personal story of Prokofiev’s life, and in the development of his art.

The Diaries describe in detail the genesis and, all too often, the problematical path to performance, of major works in the canon. A period of sustained creative endeavour, therefore, interspersed with the life of a touring virtuoso pianist, all the more remarkable considering the life-changing experiences of living, working and travelling in war-torn and revolutionary Russia, his decision to leave Russia and embark on the precarious life of an artist in the mythic America.

"I have not felt as passionately engrossed with a book as I have with this one for as long as I can remember . . . You do not have to be musical to enjoy these diaries. I am sure that in time they will come to be ranked among the great classic diaries of European literature. Truly impressive." --Alexander Waugh, Literary Review