GUY MANKOWSKI

On 01/10/12 at Dance City in Newcastle guests were invited to a performance of 'Letters from Yelena'. The event saw literature and dance brought to one stage. The night opened with a reading from one of the letters which were then performed by ballerina Laila Sanz, with choreography from Dora Frankel Dance and music from Jeremy Bradfield. A short video of the performance can be watched online on the link below- http://vimeo.com/52803418 'Letters from Yelena' can be purchased now at all good bookstores (Waterstones etc) and bought from Amazon on this link- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Yelena-Guy-Mankowski/dp/1909039101 With thanks to Hal Branson

I'm very excited that at Dance City, Newcastle this evening my second novel is being released. The launch will coincide with a performance of a scene from the book choreographed by Dora Frankel, featuring the Argentinian ballet dancer Laila Sanz (talking with me above during the development of the performance). In case that is a little too far afield, below are some of the advance quotes for the novel which I hope will entice you to buy it-   ‘It’s unusual to find a young male writer who can write with such sensitivity and maturity. Guy Mankowski’s portrayal of the ballerina Yelena is wholly convincing, taking us inside her thoughts and feelings as she describes the course of her life, from harrowing childhood to professional success, punctuated with turbulent emotional crisis. This is clearly a writer of great talent.’  Andrew Crumey, Booker Prize longlisted author. Guy Mankowski’s second novel, Letters from Yelena, is a fantastic literary achievemen...

I’ve been fortunate this week to be given a kind advance notice for ‘Letters From Yelena’ from the exceptional Hanna Jameson, author and aspiring ballerina. Her debut novel Something You Are is published in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands in December (a copy of its exquisite Dutch cover is below). 'I finished Letters from Yelena in two sittings. The mental and physical strain of the professional ballet artist is almost tangible. Mankowski creates a bleak and isolated landscape, where aspiration and ambition can be crushed under the sheer weight of their own internal pressure. 'Yelena' has more emotional and intellectual depth in a chapter than the entirety of The Black Swan. Instead it harks back to something like the visual masterpiece of The Red Shoes; romantic, dark, uncompromising, and beautiful. I defy any woman, and any dancer, to not see parts of themselves in Yelena. Exceptionally talented. Thank God you don't write crime/thrillers or I'd be bitter an...

I was very fortunate to be awarded a grant by the Arts Council to research my second novel, Letters From Yelena, for a week in St Petersburg. The book will chart the life of a Russian ballerina, and the trip gave me the chance to find out what this would have entailed... Day 1- St Petersburg is bewildering, overpowering, and grandly beautiful. I lug my suitcase down the great Nevksy Prospekt, and struggle to make out signs depicted in letters I’ve previously only seen on confectionary. My hotel is situated in between the prestigious ballet academy the Vaganova, and the famous Mariinsky Theatre. As the city darkens I go to visit the Isaac Cathedral. It’s surrounded by neo-gothic statues, with young couples kissing in amongst all its dark corners. Day 2- In the morning I visit the Nabokov museum. A quote by the writer on one of the video installations seems particularly relevant to my situation. ‘Reality’ he says ‘is perpetually eluding. A plant has a deeper reality for a botanist ...

This week I was very fortunate to be awarded by the Arts Council a grant towards the research and development of my second novel 'Letters From Yelena'. The book in progress contains the letters sent by a brilliant ballerina to ‘Noah’ – a writer who first gave her faith in people after the darkness of her childhood. By chronicling her journey first as an immigrant, then as a rising ballerina, the letters will chart how seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be overcome through the connections people make. I'm grateful that the award will allow me to spend much more of my time writing, as well as taking me to St Petersburg in Russia in a few weeks time. Whilst there I hope to visit the prestigious Vaganova Academy and world famous Mariinsky Theatre - places where my lead character learnt to dance. I'm also attending a performance of the famous ballet-blanc 'Giselle' at The Mariinsky Theatre. St Petersburg is a city I have been longing to visit for a while and ...