Noel Coward: A Biography

Noel Coward: A Biography
by Philip Hoare

Noel Coward: A Biography
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Book Summary Information

Author: Philip Hoare
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-05-22
ISBN: 0226345122
Number of pages: 622
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press

Book Reviews of Noel Coward: A Biography

Book Review: The Definitive Noel Coward
Summary: 5 Stars

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.

Summary of Noel Coward: A Biography

To several generations, actor, playwright, songwriter, and filmmaker, Noël Coward (1899-1973) was the very personification of wit, glamour, and elegance. His biographer, Philip Hoare, given unprecedented access to the private papers and correspondence of Coward family members, compatriots, and numerous lovers, has produced the definitive biography of one of the twentieth century's most celebrated and controversial figures.

"Philip Hoare's careful research and lucid presentation in his Noël Coward: A Biography adds depth to the picture."-New York Times Book Review

"A fascinating, in-depth biography."?Library Journal

"Hoare has profiled vividly and in-depth a complex legend who had a talent for creating and recreating both himself and his works."?Publishers Weekly

"In the thicket of books about the life and work of Coward, Philip Hoare's stands out as the most well-documented and objective."?Los Angeles Times

"[Hoare's] book, like its subject, strives for effortless sophistication, and succeeds."?Newsday

"Hoare's retelling of Coward's story [is] the most vivid, insightful, and fascinating so far."?John Lahr, The New Yorker

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.

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