Romola Nijinsky (1891–1978)

Romola de Pulszky was a wealthy, headstrong Hungarian aristocrat, the daughter of a prominent classical actress. In 1913, she married Vaslav Nijinsky of the Ballets Russes after a brief courtship. Romola was an ardent fan of the celebrated dancer-choreographer and after seeing him perform in Budapest, had taken up ballet herself in order to get close to him. When Sergei Diaghilev, director of the Ballets Russes, learned of the marriage, Nijinsky was fired. The couple went to live in Switzerland to wait out World War I. In 1919, Nijinksy entered treatment in a series of Swiss institutions for his mental illness, but did not recover. Eventually Romola took him to her native Budapest, where they survived World War II, and they later moved to London, where he died. The couple had two children, Kyra and Tamara. Romola edited and published the diaries that Nijinsky kept, and also wrote his biography. Robert LaFosse created a ballet, "Romola & Nijinsky," based on their story, in 2003.