The Noel Coward Reader - Couverture rigide

Coward, Noel

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0307273377 ISBN 13 : 9780307273376

Editeur : Alfred a Knopf Inc, 2010

Synopsis

Book by Coward Noel

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Noël Coward said, “The only thing that really saddens me over my demise is that I shall not be here to read the nonsense that will be written about me and my works and my motives . . . There will be lists of apocryphal jokes I never made and gleeful misquotations of words I never said. What a pity I shan’t be here to enjoy them!”

Here is a book that Noël Coward did write; jokes he did make . . . No gleeful misquotations here . . . only the best of Coward’s best.

Barry Day, editor of the acclaimed Letters of Noël Coward, who knows more about Coward and his writing than almost anyone, has brought together in one volume a Coward reader any Coward reader—or Coward appreciator—will delight in.

It’s hard to believe that, to date, there has never been a Noël Coward reader; this volume marks the very first.

Here are scenes from Coward’s plays, The Vortex, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, and Design for Living . . . from his film screenplays, Brief Encounter and the previously unpublished script for In Which We Serve . . . from his only published novel, Pomp and Circumstance, as well as four of his best short stories.

Included, as well, is his verse, in which Coward reveals the “secret heart” behind the surface wit of his more formal work . . .

And here, too, are the lyrics of his sublimely Coward songs: “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” . . . “The Stately Homes of England” . . . “I’ll See You Again” . . . “Someday I’ll Find You” . . . “Mad About the Boy” . . . “Sail Away” . . . “Mrs. Worthington” . . . and much more that embodies what Coward hoped would be his epitaph: “He was much loved, because he made people laugh and cry.”

Eddie Cantor said Noël Coward was “the British George M. Cohan . . . The most brilliant contribution England ever made to American show business.”

The Noël Coward Reader is a must-have book for those who luxuriated in the collection of his letters; for those who adore his work and those who are just discovering the delights of his writing.

Kenneth Tynan said of Coward, “Theatrically speaking, it was Coward who took sophistication out of the refrigerator and put it on the hob . . . Even the youngest of us will know, in fifty years’ time, precisely what is meant by ‘a very Noël Coward sort of person.’ ”

Those who read The Noël Coward Reader will agree: this is a very Noël Coward sort of book.

Revue de presse

“A wonderful selection of the Master’s work, plays, fiction, songs, brilliant nuggets from an incredibly rich life’s work that ought to be placed under the Christmas tree of anyone who admires Coward, or is interested in the theater, or has even the slightest curiosity about English life and letters from the end of the First World War to the end of the Second. . the best of his best work is gathered here, as fresh and readable as ever, in a volume that is full of wonderful things, and equally wonderful illustrations. Buy it, darling!”
 
—Michael Korda, The Daily Beast
"As an avid collector of Cowardiana since my teens, I possess seventy-five or so volumes of his work; the gems of which have now—astonishingly—been encapsulated in a single volume by the remarkable Barry Day (along with his ever-erudite and always entertaining commentary.) What a welcome convenience and a delight it is to have this sparkling collection in one handsome, travel-handy package!"

—Tony Walton
 
"A compendium of the bon vivant’s best works—and the perfect reminder that great wit has no expiration date."

—Town and Country

"With the Coward letters and now The Noël Coward Reader, Barry Day, with great skill and devotion has vividly brought the "Master" back to effervescent life, as fresh and witty as ever."

—Christopher Plummer

“A thoroughly entertaining introduction to [Noël Coward’s] life and work for those who do not know either, as well as a treasured bedside companion for those who do . . . thanks are due to Barry Day, whose service in Coward’s behalf has been exemplary. . . and is further burnished with this splendid “Reader.”
 
—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
 
“Another triumph of good taste and intelligence. I was struck by the great variety of Coward selected by Barry Day and his fantastic knowledge about everything related to The Master: familiar lyrics and scenes right alongside obscure and unknown material. I just loved it.”
 
—André Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater
“The timeless sensibility of Noel Coward is perfectly captured in this amazing career-encompassing compendium of his best work. Barry Day has achieved the impossible by encapsulating an imposing gargantuan body of work that will delight both the novice and the longtime fan.”
  
—Michael Feinstein

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Alfred a Knopf Inc
• Date d'édition: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0307273377
• ISBN 13: 9780307273376
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 596
• Éditeur: Day Barry
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Authorised Representative Service; ar.info@doceupoint.com; ; 77 Camden Street Lower; Dublin; Dublin; D02 XE80; Irlande