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The LETTERS Of NOEL COWARD.
Lavishly illustrated and annotated, this first and definitive collection of letters to and from Coward provides a divine portrait of an age, from the Blitz to the Ritz and beyond.The incomparable Noël Coward loved to correspond with friends, enemies, the famous and infamous, the talented and the powerful, including Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, Laurence Olivier, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Lawrence of Arabia, Somerset Maugham, and many more. Granted unlimited access to the Coward archive, Barry Day presents many never-published letters and has unearthed new, startling evidence of Coward's wartime work as a spy. Along with 191 rare photographs, these letters bring to life the people and events that shaped the twentieth century—and a remarkable man who made his own indelible mark at the heart of it.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 26, 2012
Barry Day gets 5-star kudos for the compilation and commentary -- neither too much nor too little -- of these uproariously witty & wonderful letters from Noel Coward to everyone everywhere -- he knew them all, writers, politicians, royalty, diplomats, theater greats and movie stars, from 1910 to 1973.
Coward was a singer, songwriter, a dutiful son, clever, scathing, punctilious, elegant, flamboyant, patriotic, sophisticated, silly, and his own creation. Not only a playwright, he also used his celebrity and charm to become a successful wartime spy, traveling to "sing and dance" in countries such as Warsaw, Moscow & Helsinki, even to the point where he ended up on the Gestapo's list of people to be "liquidated" when Britain fell. And he partied. And he traveled. And he wrote letters.
My favorite letters may be those between Coward & Alexander Woollcott of Algonquin Round Table fame, but there's something for everyone here -- Marlene Dietrich, the Lunts, Cary Grant, Edna Ferber. There are illustrations & a necessary index. Every bit of this book is fascinating.
Coward was a singer, songwriter, a dutiful son, clever, scathing, punctilious, elegant, flamboyant, patriotic, sophisticated, silly, and his own creation. Not only a playwright, he also used his celebrity and charm to become a successful wartime spy, traveling to "sing and dance" in countries such as Warsaw, Moscow & Helsinki, even to the point where he ended up on the Gestapo's list of people to be "liquidated" when Britain fell. And he partied. And he traveled. And he wrote letters.
My favorite letters may be those between Coward & Alexander Woollcott of Algonquin Round Table fame, but there's something for everyone here -- Marlene Dietrich, the Lunts, Cary Grant, Edna Ferber. There are illustrations & a necessary index. Every bit of this book is fascinating.
December 24, 2014
This is the kind of book I'll buy and set on a table to read over time. Cloudy days come. The persistent sniffle. Some long wait for a package or a plumber or a pot of Hungarian stew. Baseball. And I'll reach for a book like this, a collection of letters to fill the odd hour; a temporary placement of mind. Correspondence, especially a lifetime's worth, affords that kind of negligent commitment. You can put it down and pick it up again without stretching for the strands of a plot or struggling for a character's name. Actually, it's a lot like going to the mailbox.
Noel Coward - playwright, actor, composer, wit and all-around bon vivant - lived most of his long and well-documented life in the playing fields of the entertainment industry. I had imagined this would mean his letters would be filled with lots of great celebrity dish, but it's really not that at all. While he's fierce and funny and cutting on occasion, these are much more dispatches from the combat zone of a ridiculously brilliant career. He was constantly writing new works, negotiating contracts, mounting plays, mediating temperaments, mending fences and waiting, on pins and needles, for the dreaded critical review. The man, even at rest, seemed to be forever in motion.
What I found most poignant were the months he spent at the outset of World War II, travelling the globe in an attempt to drum up support for Britain - with a few secret meetings on the side. Half ambassador, half British agent; he was certainly of the belief he'd been recruited by the government, and yet that effort went unrecognized. Rumor had it Churchill himself blocked any honor that may have been accorded for this service, and it cut Coward to the quick. His correspondence betrays the briefest of breaks in that legendary bravado. Also deserving of mention are several letters he composed to confront those who had disappointed him - actors and agents for the most part, and for the most part friends. These are masterpieces of gently-held fury: precise, practical, firm, and startlingly diplomatic. All the offender could feel at the end of such a communique was profoundly apologetic. Noel was so obviously in the right, and so obviously taking the high road, all the damn time.
Barry Day, who has edited this work, houses each missive in context and produces the relevant photographs to fully capture the mood. I feel obliged to warn you there are 756 pages here. It took me a year. (Although I'm fairly sure Mr. Coward, wherever he may be at this moment, is chuckling in genuine pleasure with that news.)
Noel Coward - playwright, actor, composer, wit and all-around bon vivant - lived most of his long and well-documented life in the playing fields of the entertainment industry. I had imagined this would mean his letters would be filled with lots of great celebrity dish, but it's really not that at all. While he's fierce and funny and cutting on occasion, these are much more dispatches from the combat zone of a ridiculously brilliant career. He was constantly writing new works, negotiating contracts, mounting plays, mediating temperaments, mending fences and waiting, on pins and needles, for the dreaded critical review. The man, even at rest, seemed to be forever in motion.
What I found most poignant were the months he spent at the outset of World War II, travelling the globe in an attempt to drum up support for Britain - with a few secret meetings on the side. Half ambassador, half British agent; he was certainly of the belief he'd been recruited by the government, and yet that effort went unrecognized. Rumor had it Churchill himself blocked any honor that may have been accorded for this service, and it cut Coward to the quick. His correspondence betrays the briefest of breaks in that legendary bravado. Also deserving of mention are several letters he composed to confront those who had disappointed him - actors and agents for the most part, and for the most part friends. These are masterpieces of gently-held fury: precise, practical, firm, and startlingly diplomatic. All the offender could feel at the end of such a communique was profoundly apologetic. Noel was so obviously in the right, and so obviously taking the high road, all the damn time.
Barry Day, who has edited this work, houses each missive in context and produces the relevant photographs to fully capture the mood. I feel obliged to warn you there are 756 pages here. It took me a year. (Although I'm fairly sure Mr. Coward, wherever he may be at this moment, is chuckling in genuine pleasure with that news.)
August 30, 2015
The editing! Sorry, but what I wanted was a bit less idiosyncratic arrangement and commentary, and more of a straight collection of his letters, if indeed they exist. Most painful were reading Day's laborious reconstructions of letters from people (like William Traylor) who had obviously refused publication permission. A major disappointment. Has anyone done something along the lines of the collected letters of the Mitford sisters, but for the members of the Round Table --- and side cars like Coward and the Lunts?
Because someone should.
Honestly, the editing. That being said, this collection is better than nothing if you want to hear the unexpurgated voice of the Master.
I have to say, and this is not Day's fault, unless he left out letters that show him in a better light --- Noel Coward does not emerge as someone comfortable to know.
Because someone should.
Honestly, the editing. That being said, this collection is better than nothing if you want to hear the unexpurgated voice of the Master.
I have to say, and this is not Day's fault, unless he left out letters that show him in a better light --- Noel Coward does not emerge as someone comfortable to know.
January 17, 2013
This is an epistolary feast, spanning decades and stretching to 700 pages in the current tome. It is delicious, it is delectable, tt is not to be rushed but sipped to prolong the flavor.
It is no surprise that Noel Coward appears clever, even precocious in this volume. What has surprised me is that he emerges as such a decent and "respectable" guy. No kant, no hypocracy. Common sense, kindness, and a sense of humor. Urbane, witty, snippy, multi-talented, observant, caring, Coward had talent to spare. He was a songwriter, playwright, actor, artist, bon vivant, advisor, trusted friend. And such friends they were - from Marlene Dietrich to the Queen Mother to Somerset Maugham to Liz Taylor, whom he once described as being "hung with rubies and diamonds and looking like a pregnant Pagoda."
His quick wit was always razor sharp, used both to bolster and skewer. When his old friend Clifton Webb lost his mother, Webb was evidently given to prolonged crying bouts which caused Coward to comment, "It must be rough to be orphaned at seventy-one." Coward "ruled."
My feeling is, anyone who wants to know what it's like to be able to paint/draw/write poetry/write novels/write plays/write films/ direct all the above/sing/act/cavort/and be completely focused while still being a party animal.....all using the same brain, needs to read these letters.
It is no surprise that Noel Coward appears clever, even precocious in this volume. What has surprised me is that he emerges as such a decent and "respectable" guy. No kant, no hypocracy. Common sense, kindness, and a sense of humor. Urbane, witty, snippy, multi-talented, observant, caring, Coward had talent to spare. He was a songwriter, playwright, actor, artist, bon vivant, advisor, trusted friend. And such friends they were - from Marlene Dietrich to the Queen Mother to Somerset Maugham to Liz Taylor, whom he once described as being "hung with rubies and diamonds and looking like a pregnant Pagoda."
His quick wit was always razor sharp, used both to bolster and skewer. When his old friend Clifton Webb lost his mother, Webb was evidently given to prolonged crying bouts which caused Coward to comment, "It must be rough to be orphaned at seventy-one." Coward "ruled."
My feeling is, anyone who wants to know what it's like to be able to paint/draw/write poetry/write novels/write plays/write films/ direct all the above/sing/act/cavort/and be completely focused while still being a party animal.....all using the same brain, needs to read these letters.
April 9, 2008
I've been lost in the letters of Noel Coward for weeks. At least, that's the way it seems. You can't rush through them. It's 800 pages of wit, mayhem, and celebrity name-dropping. Coward knew everyone in the UK, France, and the US of A from 1920 - 1970, so he covers a fair swathe of the famous. He was pals with the Queen, Jack Kennedy, every Hollywood actor ever known (from that era), and a good deal of the Mafia. He was a spy in WWII, though he didn't get to do as much skullduggery as he wanted. He traveled the world and covered it all except for Antarctica (like a lot of Brits on holiday, he liked sunshine) -- quite a feat considering he began his travels in the era of ships. He preferred that mode of travel to the end, but adapted quite well to air travel. His modus operandi was to drink 3 or 4 cocktails and fall asleep.
As a playwright he's mostly remembered for 3 plays, Private Lives, Hay Fever, and Blithe Spirit, but he wrote dozens. He wrote Broadway musicals, some of them hits in the day, pop tunes (he loathed the Beatles) before rock's ascendancy, and novels. His memoirs (in several volumes) were bestsellers.
His most amazing feat may have been his letters, however. He was fond of writing in verse, and he wrote hilarious (and scandalous) send ups of everyone he met, stayed with, slept with (a long list) or worked with in theatre and films.
And with all that, he was fundamentally a level-headed, straightforward, lovable, decent (mostly) man who had more energy than 5 other people and an extraordinary gift for words and music. If you're at all interested in 20th Century theatre and film, these letters are an amazing, funny record of a happier, simpler time forever gone by.
As a playwright he's mostly remembered for 3 plays, Private Lives, Hay Fever, and Blithe Spirit, but he wrote dozens. He wrote Broadway musicals, some of them hits in the day, pop tunes (he loathed the Beatles) before rock's ascendancy, and novels. His memoirs (in several volumes) were bestsellers.
His most amazing feat may have been his letters, however. He was fond of writing in verse, and he wrote hilarious (and scandalous) send ups of everyone he met, stayed with, slept with (a long list) or worked with in theatre and films.
And with all that, he was fundamentally a level-headed, straightforward, lovable, decent (mostly) man who had more energy than 5 other people and an extraordinary gift for words and music. If you're at all interested in 20th Century theatre and film, these letters are an amazing, funny record of a happier, simpler time forever gone by.
March 29, 2020
Sorry not sorry for the "low rating" - but this is not the way that the correspondence of a major cultural figure should be published. There's too much of the editor - and too much "editing" of some of the letters, and not enough editing out and separating of what's really important from what is not.
Look at the index, too:
Noel Coward, homosexuality of: 6-7, 730.
Two mentions of NC's homosexuality in a 750 page tome? This book was published in 2007, 34 years after Coward's death, and 40 years after homosexual acts between consenting adults ceased being a criminal act in the United Kingdom. The editor, Barry Day, explains his perspective in the text: "To the end of his life, even when the social climate had become more permissive - he remained firmly private in his private life, a decision that one wishes today's gay community would honor." Well, EXCUUUUUSE me! Barry Day has published a 750 book of Noel Coward's private correspondence, so it seems to me that that the "privacy" horse left the barn a long time ago.
Look at the index, too:
Noel Coward, homosexuality of: 6-7, 730.
Two mentions of NC's homosexuality in a 750 page tome? This book was published in 2007, 34 years after Coward's death, and 40 years after homosexual acts between consenting adults ceased being a criminal act in the United Kingdom. The editor, Barry Day, explains his perspective in the text: "To the end of his life, even when the social climate had become more permissive - he remained firmly private in his private life, a decision that one wishes today's gay community would honor." Well, EXCUUUUUSE me! Barry Day has published a 750 book of Noel Coward's private correspondence, so it seems to me that that the "privacy" horse left the barn a long time ago.
October 6, 2019
Absolutely hilarious! Fun! What a life he had!! Read it!
November 2, 2014
Sometimes the best way to speak of a book is to provide nuggets for the reader, like chocolates on a tray. Nuggets aplenty in this volume.
On grudges: “Woollcott was delighted. A man who was in the habit of falling out with even his closest of friends and who never met a grudge he couldn’t bear, he never quarreled with Noël. Instead, they maintained a relationship of mutual teasing and mock insult for the next twenty years” (64).
On holiday friendships: “In the spirit that holiday friendships create, Noël rather rashly agreed to visit her [Marie Stopes] on their return to England, and did so more than once. He was to realize that no good deed goes unpunished when the lady insisted on reading aloud large amounts of her own fiction and sending him off with even more of it” (69).
From Edith Sitwell: “It was so good of you to send me your Collected Short Stories. There are no short stories written in England in our time that I admire more. I think ‘Aunt Tittie’, for instance, a real masterpiece. I am not a cry-baby but it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it—and I have read it over and over again. I can’t think what you must have gone through, piercing into the hearts of those two forlorn human beings. The end of the story is almost unbearable. You have done more, so quietly, than most writers do by yelling at the tops of their voices” (85).
William James: “The plain truth is that people want war. They want it anyhow, for itself, and apart from each and every possible consequence. It is the final bouquet of life’s fireworks” (176).
How to Write: “In the years that followed more and more commentators came to understand the unlikely professional rapport between the two writers [Coward and Pinter]. The clue lay in two separate Coward lines: ‘Suggestion is always more interesting than statement.’
And the speech in Shadow Play in which he has Gertrude Lawrence say, ‘Small talk, a lot of small talk with other thoughts going on behind.’
Today a young playwright would consider it an accolade to be dubbed ‘Pinteresque.’ But Pinter could equally be called ‘Cowardesque’” (244).
Hmmmm: “I’ve had a lovely week here staying with Cary Grant and Randolph Scott in a little house right on the edge of the sea” (363). Lovely indeed.
On love: “As the abused but perspicacious Thornton [Wilder] says: when we are in love with someone it is not so much that we idealise their good qualities but rationalize their defects . . .” (442).
Well worth the many hours I spent reading this tome.
On grudges: “Woollcott was delighted. A man who was in the habit of falling out with even his closest of friends and who never met a grudge he couldn’t bear, he never quarreled with Noël. Instead, they maintained a relationship of mutual teasing and mock insult for the next twenty years” (64).
On holiday friendships: “In the spirit that holiday friendships create, Noël rather rashly agreed to visit her [Marie Stopes] on their return to England, and did so more than once. He was to realize that no good deed goes unpunished when the lady insisted on reading aloud large amounts of her own fiction and sending him off with even more of it” (69).
From Edith Sitwell: “It was so good of you to send me your Collected Short Stories. There are no short stories written in England in our time that I admire more. I think ‘Aunt Tittie’, for instance, a real masterpiece. I am not a cry-baby but it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it—and I have read it over and over again. I can’t think what you must have gone through, piercing into the hearts of those two forlorn human beings. The end of the story is almost unbearable. You have done more, so quietly, than most writers do by yelling at the tops of their voices” (85).
William James: “The plain truth is that people want war. They want it anyhow, for itself, and apart from each and every possible consequence. It is the final bouquet of life’s fireworks” (176).
How to Write: “In the years that followed more and more commentators came to understand the unlikely professional rapport between the two writers [Coward and Pinter]. The clue lay in two separate Coward lines: ‘Suggestion is always more interesting than statement.’
And the speech in Shadow Play in which he has Gertrude Lawrence say, ‘Small talk, a lot of small talk with other thoughts going on behind.’
Today a young playwright would consider it an accolade to be dubbed ‘Pinteresque.’ But Pinter could equally be called ‘Cowardesque’” (244).
Hmmmm: “I’ve had a lovely week here staying with Cary Grant and Randolph Scott in a little house right on the edge of the sea” (363). Lovely indeed.
On love: “As the abused but perspicacious Thornton [Wilder] says: when we are in love with someone it is not so much that we idealise their good qualities but rationalize their defects . . .” (442).
Well worth the many hours I spent reading this tome.
July 26, 2009
This is an enormous tome - and I found it very hard to hold at times. It is over 750 pages (larger pages at that) and no wonder really. Noel Coward lived for over 70 years and wrote hundreds of letters to all sorts of people. In between the letters we get valuble biographical details of his life, and his work. There were moments when I found this tough going - but overall I found it readable and hugely entertaining. I found that the older Noel Coward got, the better his letters became, and the bitchier he got too. There were many laugh out loud anecdotes, and witty rejoinders. I found I got to know Noel Coward pretty well, and more importantly I really liked him.
June 7, 2010
The letters of Noel Coward are a positively, fabulous journey regarding the greatest theater legend of the 20th century. Mostly known for his plays, Coward was equally deft as an enchanting composer/lyricist. During the read, I not only listened to his songs, but also viewed his films, "Brief Encounter," "In Which We Serve" and "The Italian Job." He was also a remarkable actor and director. The Golden Age of theater especially comes to life through his correspondence with Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt, Gertrude Lawrence, Marlene Dietrich, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and scores of other writers, actors, and designers, (etc.).
April 6, 2009
From this book I learned that even Noel Coward's letters were fucking brilliant.
May we all be so lucky as to receive a hand written letter from a great writer.
They should be full of wit, gossip and opinions on their current work.
I loved this book. And I hate letter books, I normally find them boring! So to give this one 5 stars is huge deal for me!
May we all be so lucky as to receive a hand written letter from a great writer.
They should be full of wit, gossip and opinions on their current work.
I loved this book. And I hate letter books, I normally find them boring! So to give this one 5 stars is huge deal for me!
April 8, 2019
Wonderful humor and biting commentary on a lifetime of creativity and interaction with many of the most important and interesting people of the 20th century. Great job of editing and supplying context by Barry Day.
This book inspired me to take an ocean voyage!
This book inspired me to take an ocean voyage!
March 21, 2010
Ugh. Forced myself to finish it because I read so many good things about it. Never seemed to flow.
January 19, 2011
Fascinating reading only marred by the english editor's use of american spelling and his dodging about of the order of letters.
February 27, 2024
This could have been a stellar collection but the editing was terrible and the ebook edition nearly unreadable in spots. The formatting was horrendous: I understand putting the letter texts in italic, but this often carries over into the editor/presenter's "commentary", making it hard to know what you're reading at times. Was it part of the letter or part of Day's elucubrations? We won't even go into letter substitutions caused by lazy e-text production without proofing, even more unforgiveable when you think it was probably typed on a computer. Then there's the lack of chronological order; particularly in the first half of the book Day skips back and forth from the 20s and 30s to the 60s and back again. Later on, when dealing with the late 60s, we're suddenly "treated" to a photo from the 40s or earlier, jarring the flow of the reading. What the point of the "intermissions" (interruptions) was, I cannot tell you.
Another thing I cannot tell you is why I trudged through to the end of this massive (700 pages in the ebook edition) tome. The first half was interesting and entertaining but it bogged down more and more the further in we got. The more I read of Coward's letters the less I liked him; he'd slobber all over an actor or useful acquaintance in a letter to that person ("You know how much I love you...love love love, mad kisses" etc) and then in a letter to another friend he'd roast them unmercifully. This tendency grew worse as the decades passed.
Another thing I cannot tell you is why I trudged through to the end of this massive (700 pages in the ebook edition) tome. The first half was interesting and entertaining but it bogged down more and more the further in we got. The more I read of Coward's letters the less I liked him; he'd slobber all over an actor or useful acquaintance in a letter to that person ("You know how much I love you...love love love, mad kisses" etc) and then in a letter to another friend he'd roast them unmercifully. This tendency grew worse as the decades passed.
February 11, 2026
What a mess
Noel's letters are delightful, but the Kundle edition is flooded with literally hundreds of typos and misspellings. Shame on the publishers - it's a disgrace to put out a full price book with evidently NO ATTEMPT AT PROOFREADING. You take money for a mess like this? Pathetic. Hope the paper edition is not such a botched job - otherwise Barry Day has stopped caring about Coward.
Noel's letters are delightful, but the Kundle edition is flooded with literally hundreds of typos and misspellings. Shame on the publishers - it's a disgrace to put out a full price book with evidently NO ATTEMPT AT PROOFREADING. You take money for a mess like this? Pathetic. Hope the paper edition is not such a botched job - otherwise Barry Day has stopped caring about Coward.
August 21, 2018
Excellent. Not only do you get Coward’s wonderful letter but, often, the letter he was replying to or the reply to his.
October 5, 2025
Am I the only one that found this to be more sad than joyful. Perhaps I read too much between the lines.
August 8, 2012
Only four stars because this collection was not put together that well; it did not flow easily. That said, I do feel that finally after all the years I've held some vague notion about who this fellow was, and not really having made the effort or taken the time to actually dive headlong into the subject matter--Noel Coward, "The Master"--I, at last, have done so and am quite fulfilled by the experience. "Fulfilled," is perhaps the wrong word. Maybe "delighted" would work better.
This hefty tome is an exquisite detailing of Coward's life, in his own words, with wonderful pictures enhancing the read. Coward, I have come to learn, was an actor, a playwright, a composer, a sort of spy for the British and the CIA at the onset of WWII, a naughty raconteur, a homosexual, a gadfly, a world traveler, a precious friend, a wit of immense proportions, and, I could go on... Yes, as I said, a hefty tome. A loooooong read. But, then, "The Master" packed so much into his 70 years, that I did not begrudge the effort to experience it each night, for so many nights, as I lay upon my bed, my Kindle cradled as something made the more precious by what I was reading.
I do believe that anyone who has any interest at all in the British and American theater--the "Golden Age" of theater, some have suggested--would be well served to take the time to read this memoir. Indeed, my scant interest in the American theater was heightened as I read, then, in the morning, finding that a great deal of Coward's work, as well as snippets of the man himself, are generously provided on YouTube.
To the cynics--you know who you are, and I've read your reviews--should, in all sincerity, pull that corncob out of your ass, deflate your egos a wee bit, and enjoy the legacy of Noel Coward--and certainly the man himself--as representative of a bygone era when a beetle was only a bug, and people were not afraid to laugh at themselves as well as others, and when heartfelt communication was not restricted to 140 characters.
This hefty tome is an exquisite detailing of Coward's life, in his own words, with wonderful pictures enhancing the read. Coward, I have come to learn, was an actor, a playwright, a composer, a sort of spy for the British and the CIA at the onset of WWII, a naughty raconteur, a homosexual, a gadfly, a world traveler, a precious friend, a wit of immense proportions, and, I could go on... Yes, as I said, a hefty tome. A loooooong read. But, then, "The Master" packed so much into his 70 years, that I did not begrudge the effort to experience it each night, for so many nights, as I lay upon my bed, my Kindle cradled as something made the more precious by what I was reading.
I do believe that anyone who has any interest at all in the British and American theater--the "Golden Age" of theater, some have suggested--would be well served to take the time to read this memoir. Indeed, my scant interest in the American theater was heightened as I read, then, in the morning, finding that a great deal of Coward's work, as well as snippets of the man himself, are generously provided on YouTube.
To the cynics--you know who you are, and I've read your reviews--should, in all sincerity, pull that corncob out of your ass, deflate your egos a wee bit, and enjoy the legacy of Noel Coward--and certainly the man himself--as representative of a bygone era when a beetle was only a bug, and people were not afraid to laugh at themselves as well as others, and when heartfelt communication was not restricted to 140 characters.
August 22, 2014
A very interesting read over the past few months, a few pages at a time.
Like others, I found the chapters concentrating on one particular correspondent slightly confusing when the rest of the book was chronological. You would come to events, having already read letters about them 400 pages earlier, and then try to put the two together.
Still, there were the wonderful put downs and barbed descriptions. And I knew very little about Coward, other than some clever humourous songs and the only productions of his plays I have seen have been rather precious. It was all very interesting.
Like others, I found the chapters concentrating on one particular correspondent slightly confusing when the rest of the book was chronological. You would come to events, having already read letters about them 400 pages earlier, and then try to put the two together.
Still, there were the wonderful put downs and barbed descriptions. And I knew very little about Coward, other than some clever humourous songs and the only productions of his plays I have seen have been rather precious. It was all very interesting.
April 29, 2008
what i learned? letter writing is a lost art. brevity is under-rated. shallowness and egocentricity are only funny for so long.
that said, noel coward lived an excessively interesting life: playwright, actor, director, novelist, spy. and friend to vastly interesting people, with whom he exchanged some interesting letters.
this book is not for everyone. you've got to know coward's plays, for one. or at least know who the guy was. otherwise, it reads like a poncy bit of sugar cloud.
that said, noel coward lived an excessively interesting life: playwright, actor, director, novelist, spy. and friend to vastly interesting people, with whom he exchanged some interesting letters.
this book is not for everyone. you've got to know coward's plays, for one. or at least know who the guy was. otherwise, it reads like a poncy bit of sugar cloud.
October 31, 2009
Is there anyone more delightful to spend an evening with than Noel Coward? I think not and this book confirms it. The letters are interwoven with biographical commentary and sometimes jump out of chronological order to show the progression and context of a relationship. Altogether a delightful read.
January 31, 2009
Why am I reading yet more letters from witty Brits born in 1899? Maybe it's the cold weather and the long, dark nights. Anyway, this is a very good collection because the guy who put it together has written seven Coward biographies (obsess much?) and the letters are bookended by fascinating and pertinent biographical nuggets. Also, he includes letters TO Noel Coward, which is a nice touch.
Read
November 28, 2007We just did a cabaret of the music of Noel Coward... My favorite Noel Coward Song, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the Noon Day Sun..." I would love to read this. I am sure there is some correspondence with Gertrude Lawrence too.
April 1, 2008
Noel Coward was a collaborator!!! Sorry, random factoid that I picked up from reading this book.
But seriously, so lovely to read something from an age where people actually wrote each other letters.
But seriously, so lovely to read something from an age where people actually wrote each other letters.
September 13, 2008
Unsurprisingly wide range of acquaintances and friends. A very full life. Juicy, bitchy and a good, if long, read. His activities during the war were unexpected, given his reluctance to live in Britain, he remained a fervent patriot in his own strange way.
September 13, 2008
Unsurprisingly wide range of acquaintances and friends. A very full life. Juicy, bitchy and a good, if long, read. His activities during the war were unexpected, given his reluctance to live in Britain, he remained a fervent patriot in his own strange way.
Read
April 5, 2009If you have ever laughed at a Noel Coward play or hummed along to one of his songs, you'll like this book. It's also eminently browsable--you can just dip into it, to see what he was writing and thinking when, for instance, Blithe Spirit was about to premiere.
July 4, 2009
I read this because of a friends' recommendation. Historically, it was mildly interesting. I appreciated the volume of correspondence written during his life. I didn't really enjoy the read- felt more like a chore
April 23, 2018
This book is an absolute delight. Who would have thought 600 pages of letters would be so entertaining. It offers glimpses into the mind of this extraordinary person as well as providing insights into his time and the lives of so many of his contemporaries. I was sad when it ended.
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