The Letters of Noël Coward

The Letters of Noël Coward
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 813
Release: 2014-10-31
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 140814767X

'A uniquely charming and enticing journey through a remarkable life. Coward's own record is made all the more delightful by the wise and helpful interpolations of Barry Day, the soundest authority on the Master that there is.' Stephen Fry 'Precise, witty, remarkably observed and gloriously English' Dame Judi Dench 'Barry Day's analysis is both perceptive and irresistible' Lord Richard Attenborough With virtually all the letters in this volume previously unpublished - this is a revealing new insight into the private life of a legendary figure. Coward's multi-faceted talent as an actor, writer, composer, producer and even as a war-time spy(!), brought him into close contact with the great, the good and the merely ambitious in film, literature and politics.With letters to and from the likes of: George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo (she wrote asking him to marry her), Marlene Dietriech, Ian Fleming, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, FD Roosevelt, the Queen Mother and many more, the picture that emerges is a series of vivid sketches of Noel Coward's private relationships, and a re-examination of the man himself. Deliciously insightful, witty, perfectly bitchy, wise, loving and often surprisingly moving, this extraordinary collection gives us Coward at his crackling best. A sublime portrait of a unique artist who made an indelible mark on the 20th century, from the Blitz to the Ritz and beyond.

Noel Coward In His Own Words

Noel Coward In His Own Words
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2008-09-29
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1408149370

"In my time I have said some noteworthy and exceptionally memorable things" – Noël Coward A delightful and revealing collection of quotations from the master wordsmith, Noël Coward. In his plays, verse, song lyrics, stories and everyday life, he chose his words to uniquely stylish and truthful effect. This insightful portrait includes not only his best-loved witticisms, bons mots and lyrics but also excerpts from his private papers and hidden gems from unpublished material. Barry Day delves into the whole range of Coward's talents, as well as his thoughts on theatre, England, the Arts, religion, life and the man himself. In His Own Words displays the usual frivolity, and a surprising capacity for depth and compassion.

Design for Living

Design for Living
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2014-05-08
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1408191490

'The actual facts are so simple. I love you. You love me. You love Otto. I love Otto. Otto loves you. Otto loves me. There now! Start to unravel from there.' Design for Living is a wickedly witty dark romantic comedy by Noel Coward. Initially banned in the UK, this provocative play portrays three amoral, glib and stylish characters and their hopelessly inescapable, if also unconventional, emotional entanglement. From 1930s bohemian Paris to the dizzying heights of Manhattan society, a tempestuous love triangle unravels between a vivacious interior designer, Gilda, playwright Leo and artist Otto - three people unashamedly and passionately in love with each other. They are trapped in what Coward called 'a three-sided erotic hodge podge.' With Coward's trademark piquant style, this lively, funny but also atypical play looks at dazzling, egotistical creatures and their self-destructive dependence on each other. Exploring themes of bisexuality, celebrity, success and self-obsession, Design for Living is a stylish and scandalous comedy.

Present Indicative

Present Indicative
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2012-10-10
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 140819077X

"I was photographed naked on a cushion very early in life, an insane, toothless smile slitting my face and pleats of fat overlapping me like an ill-fitting overcoat. Later, at the age of two, I was photographed again. This time in a lace dress, leaning against a garden roller and laughing hysterically. If these photographs can be found they will adorn this book." Thus begins the life story of one of the most celebrated characters in British theatrical history, in the first of Coward's autobiographies, first published in 1937. Displaying an early dedication to the theatre, Present Indicative hints at the success that would come to Coward as actor, playwright, novelist and performer. Each line is punctuated with his trademark effervescent wit, making this book a comic tour de force in it's own right, as well as a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the British stage. "He is simply a phenomenon, and one that is unlikely to occur ever again in theatre history" Terence Rattigan

The Noel Coward Diaries

The Noel Coward Diaries
Author: Sheridan Morley
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 548
Release: 2022-11-17
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 139960306X

'A gold mine of gossip with a cast of thousands' GUARDIAN The unexpurgated diaries of one of the greatest, most talented, and wittily flamboyant characters of the 20th century - with a new introduction by Stephen Fry 'Compulsive reading' SUNDAY TIMES '19th February 1956. A A Milne has died. Lord Beaverbrook has not ... Larry is going to make a movie of The Sleeping Prince with Marilyn Monroe, which might conceivably drive him round the bend' '28th February 1960 Princess Margaret has announced her engagement to Tony Armstrong-Jones ... He looks quite pretty, but whether or not the marriage is entirely suitable remains to be seen.' Noel Coward was a renowned actor, dramatist, director - and star. His incredible zest, versatility and unrivalled wit are revealed in these diaries, with a cast of characters ranging from The Beatles to the Queen, Churchill to Marilyn Monroe. Touching, funny and revealing, THE NOEL COWARD DIARIES is a superb account of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

The Noël Coward Reader

The Noël Coward Reader
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 626
Release: 2011-09-06
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 0307474879

The Noël Coward Reader offers a wonderfully wide-ranging selection—the first of its kind—of the best of the Master’s oeuvre, entertainingly annotated and abundantly illustrated, and including material that has never before been published. Here are scenes from Coward’s famous plays, from Private Lives to Blithe Spirit, and his screenplays, from Brief Encounter to In Which We Serve. Here are four of his best short stories, scenes from his only novel, and a generous selection of his verse, alongside the lyrics of many of his most sublime songs, including “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” “The Stately Homes of England,” and “Mad About the Boy.” The Noël Coward Reader is a must-have book both for those who adore his work and for those who are just discovering the many-faceted delights of his comic genius.

The Complete Verse of Noel Coward

The Complete Verse of Noel Coward
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2011-09-29
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1408145901

The Complete Verse of Noël Coward brings together the three volumes of verse produced during his lifetime together with previously unpublished material for the very first time. For the legions of fans of The Master, this definitive collection of Coward's verse writings will prove irresistible. 'Throughout most of the years of my life, since approximately 1908, I have derived a considerable amount of private pleasure from writing verse . . . It is an inherent instinct in the English character.' Beginning with his youthful verse experiments, The Complete Verse arranges in themed chapters Coward's prolific public and personal verse writings. Chapters bring together his verse on a wide variety of subjects including war, the theatre, love, friends, travel, and God and the infinite. It features the satirical 'cod-pieces' - Chelsea Buns and Spangled Unicorn - and the verse collected in the 1967 volume Not Yet the Dodo. But alongside these are the verses sent to friends and family over many years, in letters, memos and cables, which paint a vivid portrait of his more private life and are published here for the first time. With a linking commentary by editor Barry Day and sprinkled with illustrations throughout, The Complete Verse offers to Coward readers further enjoyment and appreciation of his wit, insatiable interest in people and skilful rendering of his public and private lives.

The Letters of Noel Coward

The Letters of Noel Coward
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 801
Release: 2008-12-30
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 0307537420

Lavishly illustrated and annotated, this first and definitive collection of letters to and from the great English playwright provides a divine portrait of an age, from the Blitz to the Ritz and beyond. "Superb.... The portrait of a complex, charming, driven, serious and, frankly, courageous artist." —The Wall Street Journal 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.

Future Indefinite

Future Indefinite
Author: Noël Coward
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2014-08-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1408191482

The definitive account, in his own words, of one of the most popular figures in British theatre. The second and concluding volume of Noël Coward's legendary autobiography includes Future Indefinite and the unfinished Past Unconditional. With his trademark wit, Coward delivers anecdotes about his travels in South America, Hollywood encounters with an array of contemporary stars and directors, and his later theatrical successes, including the Broadway triumph of Design For Living. The showbiz glamour aside, we also encounter a middle-aged man coming to terms with a world in disarray; his confused feelings towards the war and his own part in it exposing a more serious and thoughtful side to a performer and raconteur more usually associated with frivolity. Future Indefinite sees Coward transformed from a 'brazen odious little prodigy' into one of the most exuberant characters in British theatrical history. "His writing is superb, his precise languid drawl put down on the page" Daily Express

A Talent to Amuse

A Talent to Amuse
Author: Sheridan Morley
Publisher:
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2016-09-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781911413677

A biography of the writer and entertainer Noel Coward.