My Dearly Beloved Wife: Letters from France and Italy, 1841.

My Dearly Beloved Wife: Letters from France and Italy, 1841 By August Bournonville. Introduction and annotations by Knud Arne Jurgensen. Translated by Patricia McAndrew. Alton, England: Dance Books Ltd., 2005. 192 pp. Illustrated. $59.95. www.dancehorizons.com

In 1979, a great, thick tome appeared. Called My Theatre Life, it contained the autobiographical jottings of Danish dancer/choreographer/teacher/ballet master August Bournonville. They were translated by American dance scholar Patricia McAndrew, who had learned Danish in order to accomplish the task.

Now, a much smaller volume has appeared, again lovingly translated by McAndrew, with informative footnotes by Danish scholar Knud Arne Jurgensen. It is a collection of 39 letters that Bournonville wrote to his wife (and mother of his six children) while he traveled in France and Italy. The trip, from March 31 to September 9, 1841, was an unsalaried exile imposed because Bourbonville had addressed the King of Denmark from the stage during a claque incident.

Did the banishment upset him? Here's his view: "I have gained health and zest, spirits, a knowledge of the locale, and the language (Italian) of the country, made my name known, provided for a better contract at home, and learned to appreciate the advantages our theatre has over many others. I have in addition refreshed my imagination and stored up memories that shall remain with me the rest of my life."

Bournonville's ballets drew from his life, not only in their intelligent use of technique (he constantly sought the best teachers of the day), but in their emotional atmosphere. How tender yet playful were his pas de deux, how reflective of his own marital relationship. What woman would tire of effusions like, "Do not be angry with me for boasting; however, the magnitude and fervor of one's love are the only things about which one may be immodest. Indeed, dear, sweet Helene! my love for you is so absolute that my whole being is consumed with ideas of how I shall make you fortunate and happy."

While he was busy writing thus "from the heart," Bournonville was also using the trip to assemble valuable geographic and social impressions, which eventually framed ballets like Napoli, A Folk Tale, and The Flower Festival in Genzano. He was also using his personal charm to contact people who would prove valuable in the future. It is indeed rare to find a man so profoundly suited by talent, imagination, and self-confidence for the upward journey in his profession.