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Noel Coward: A Biography
 
 
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Noel Coward: A Biography (Paperback)

by Philip Hoare (Author) "WITH impeccable timing Noel Coward was born on 16 December 1899, just in time to catch the fleeting grandeur of the old century..." (more)
Key Phrases: undated cutting, midnight matinee, interview with author, New York, Noel Coward, Jack Wilson (more...)
5.0 out of 5 stars  (2 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details
  • Paperback: 622 pages
  • Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (May 22, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0226345122
  • ISBN-13: 978-0226345123
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #532,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #69 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > British & Irish > Contemporary

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  • Also Available in: Hardcover  |  Paperback  |  All Editions