Noel Coward: A Biography [Hardcover]

Philip Hoare (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 1996

A profile of acclaimed writer Noe+a5l Coward covers his middle-class London childhood, ruthless ambitions, and friendships with such figures as Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, and Vivien Leigh. 17,500 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Noel Coward was a remarkably prolific writer with dozens of plays, several films, hundreds of songs plus volumes of autobiographies, stories and verse to his credit, produced in his rapid-fire style from the 1920s through the 1960s. His plays defined postwar Britain and are among the wittiest works ever written. Yet despite the spotlight he attracted--not to mention several biographies of the man--the full story of Coward, complete with his less-admirable sides, has remained untold. That is until Philip Hoare's striking biography, which offers insight into Coward's work and private life. Noel Coward's plays need not be forgotten; this biography should help keep them alive.

From Publishers Weekly

Like his life of Stephen Tennant, Serious Pleasures (1990), Hoare's substantial biography of Coward is fastidiously researched and documented. The author traces Coward's colorful family history back to the early 17th century and shows how his middle-class upbringing only fueled his passion for success, a yearning that remained with Coward throughout his life. In painstaking detail, Hoare chronicles Coward's devotion to his mother, his homosexual affairs and his travels within the beau monde. Particularly insightful are the accounts of how, in bursts of creativity, Coward translated real-life encounters and experiences into written art, though often to the extreme displeasure of the friends he wrote about, like Edith Sitwell. While Hoare pays homage to Coward's numerous plays, revues, songs and stories, he doesn't ignore the failures. Nor does Hoare hide Coward's personal shortcomings?his financial mismanagement, temper and quarrels with England?which show the ring around his Eton-collared image. The author's prose can be stilted, and his prolix plot summaries of Coward's plays could be tighter. Nonetheless, Hoare has profiled vividly and in depth a complex legend who had a talent for creating and re-creating both himself and his works. Photograph not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (August 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684809370
• ISBN-13: 978-0684809373
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philip Hoare is the author of several books, including 'Serious Pleasures: The Life of Stephen Tennant'; 'Noel Coward: A Biography'; 'Oscar Wilde's Last Stand'; 'Spike Island' and 'England's Lost Eden'. He lives in Hoxton, London, and Southampton, and each summer visits Cape Cod, where, as a member of the Center for Coastal Studies, he undertakes twice-daily expeditions to watch its whales.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably ought to be the standard, January 14, 2004

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noel Coward: A Biography (Hardcover)

Nearly eight years after its publication, and almost five since the (relatively) highly observed centenary of Noël Coward's birth, I'm amazed to see that I'm apparently the first person to review this biography on Amazon.com. When I first read it several years ago, I was struck by Hoare's thoroughness, his dispassion, and his wide-ranging research. While this book may not be flawless, it's certainly good enough, I believe, to be the current standard biography of the man.

Despite Coward's reputation as the quintessence of high-class sophistication and airy panache, Hoare shows how the man was shaped by his distinctly unglamorous childhood. His days as a hard-working child actor are thoroughly explored, as are his relationships with colleagues, lovers, competitors, and friends. While not prurient, Hoare clearly loves a good story, and doesn't mind dealing dish (as they say) on his subject when he has one to tell.

Though not really a devotee of theater generally, I am a fan of Coward's. Having read a few titles about the man, I don't hesitate to say this is the best of the lot. Whether you're a student of the man or a casual acquaintance who wants to know more about one of the outstanding talents of the last century, Philip Hoare's biography is a resource to read, enjoy, and keep close to hand.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Noel Coward, January 5, 2007

By 

Mark S. Smith (Wilton Manors, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noel Coward: A Biography (Paperback)

Philip Hoare has compiled the most complete of all the Coward biographies and I think I have read them all save Cole Lesley's. Hoare points out dramatically what a complicated personality Coward was and how his sexual orientation impacted his talent and his fame.
I worked with Coward late in his life (1960/61) and knew only his celebrity. His autobiographies and most of the other bios dealt only on that level. It took Hoare and the passage of time to reveal the more complicated and private side of his amazing life.
I will always cherish my brief encounter with the Master.