6. Vaslav Nijinsky’s diaries revealed the ballet legend to be obsessed with prostitutes, especially young male sex workers
In 1936, Romola Nijinsky published the diaries of her husband, the world-famous ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. The memoirs gave an insight into his colourful life, from a young boy in Kiev to triumphant performances in New York City. Perhaps understandably, however, Romola edited huge parts of her partner’s diaries. Above all, she refused to make public the sections of his diaries where he recorded his sexual adventures. Only when the diaries were re-released decades later did the world get to know about Nijinsky’s insatiable obsession with prostitutes – both male and female.
The diaries reveal what most people assumed – Nijinsky was a tortured soul with many demons. Alongside bland recollections of his meals and toiletry habits, the dancer kept a detailed dairy of his masturbatory habits and put down on paper his obsession with sex workers. The ballet legend loved masochistic sex and preferred younger prostitutes, both male and female. Notably, the diaries also confirm that he indulged his obsession not only before his marriage to fellow dancer Romola but after the pair wed. Despite this, Nijinsky remained devoted to his wife, and he loved his daughter deeply too, as the memoirs also show.