Mask and Soul: My Forty Years in Theaters

Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin 1873-1938 — a phenomenon of musical culture of such scale that his fame does not fade with time. Shalyapin's creativity continues to excite, his personality and fate still evoke lively interest. In the autobiographical book «Mask and... Soul», first published in 1932 in Paris, the famous opera artist not only shares memories of his «forty years in theaters» — the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and theaters around the world. He also reflects on opera art, inspiration, performance mastery, and the changes that occurred during the years of the maestro's life and work. The book recreates scenes of the Russian theatrical and artistic environment at the end of the 19th — beginning of the 20th century.