Diaries 1924-1933: Prodigal Son

This monumental volume is the third and final collection of Prokofiev's diaries and covers the years 1924–33, when the composer and pianist was living primarily in Paris. Those familiar with Prokofiev's distinctive musical vocabulary—challenging yet accessible, often with a sardonic undertone—will find these traits reflected in his prose. Prokofiev was at the center of a vibrant Russian émigré society that included such luminaries as Igor Stravinsky, Serge Koussevitzky, and Sergei Diaghilev, and he meticulously documents the artistic and social scene with a thoughtful and clear-eyed candor, which even extends to his relationship with his temperamental wife, the Spanish singer Lina Llubera. Prokofiev suffered no fools and was never shy about offering frank opinion; readers will delight at his many witty putdowns of his contemporaries and their works. The diaries also strikingly reveal his sincere dedication to Christian Science beliefs and practices. One may at times become overwhelmed by the voluminous amount of minutiae, though Phillips's extensive annotations are very helpful in identifying the lesser-known figures who populated Prokofiev's world. Taken as a whole, the diaries show Prokofiev at a crossroads: a prodigiously talented composer and pianist in the prime of his artistic life, who enjoyed the fame and freedom that Western Europe and America offered but felt increasingly and inexorably drawn to his homeland, which he considered the ultimate source of his creative energy, despite the oppressive nature of the Soviet regime.