Noel Coward: A Biography by Philip Hoare
To several generations, Noel Coward was the very personification of wit, glamor, and elegance. There seemed to be nothing he couldn't do, and - as Philip Hoare shows in this definitive biography - he seems to have tried it all. The most remarkable thing, however, was that whatever it was that Coward undertook, it was done with supreme style and class.
Coward was a master playwright: consider Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, and Design for Living; the composer/lyricist of songs such as "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," "If Love Were All," and "Mad About the Boy," from musicals and operettas such as Bitter Sweet, Conversation Piece, and High Spirits; he was a filmmaker: Cavalcade, In Which We Serve, and Brief Encounter; a novelist and diarist: Pomp and Circumstance, Present Indicative; and a talented actor and performer.
In researching the book, Philip Hoare traveled far and wide, and interviewed dozens of Coward's surviving contemporaries - friends, as well as enemies. Most significant, however, was the cooperation he received from the Coward Estate. Given unprecedented access to the private papers and correspondence of Coward and of members of his family, as well as his many compatriots and numerous lovers, Hoare has produced what has been hailed widely as "the definitive book" about Noel Coward.
One especially noteworthy aspect to Hoare's treatment of Coward's life is the fact that this book is the first to deal openly with Coward's homosexuality. It was, of course, a reality in his life, but despite the fact that it imbued his work, it was a subject Coward remained, to his death, wary of discussing publicly. But while Hoare deals frankly with the subject, he never oversteps the bounds of discretion and good taste.
The result of all Philip Hoare's meticulous research and careful assessment is a biography that is both wide-ranging and intimate, a record of the public profile and private life of one of the twentieth century's most celebrated - and still controversial - figures, above all, a great story, as Coward progresses from a childhood middle-class respectability to the world's stage, and unparalleled social success (his friends and lovers included some of the century's most glamorous and occasionally notorious figures from celebrities to royalty).
Hardback | 24 pages
165 x 254 x 50.8mm | 975g
01 Aug 1996
SIMON & SCHUSTER
United Kingdom
English
0684809370
9780684809373
Condition: Good
A vintage book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover, including very minimal scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket is included and in an acceptable condition, with minor scuff mark, very minimal discolouring, and a tear on the back. All pages are undamaged, with no creasing or tearing, no pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.