Tynan Letters

(Paperback)

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Description

As drama critic from "The Observer" in the 1950s, Kenneth Tynan sought to "rouse tempers, goad and lacerate, raise whirlwinds". As literary manager of the newly-formed National Theatre under Laurence Olivier, creator of the notorious "Oh! Calcutta!", and foremost critic of his day, he was throughout a passionate provocateur. This selection of Tynan's letters, edited by his widow, traces the making of an intellectual and a lifelong battle against the forces of convention and complacency. His correspondents range from Olivier to Germaine Greer.

Reviews

I know of no Letters which capture so movingly the arc of a man's life... These letters, scupulously edited and exhaustively annotated by Kathleen Tynan, are not just of surpassing interest to theatre- buffs. They are for anyone who relishes the vitality of voluptuous prose, who is fascinated by the libertarian battles of freedom of expression conducted in the sixties, and who is quite simply curious about the passions and travails of a unique, radical sophisticate. * Guardian *
Compulsively readable * The Times *
The wittiest critic and one of the most sparkling writers of his generation * Independent on Sunday *
Tynan emerges not only as unique, original and courageous, but also at times as silly, vain, and the champion intellectual and showbiz groupie of all time * Daily Telegraph *

Author Bio

Kathleen Tynan, novelist, journalist and screenwriter, was the author of The Summer Aeroplane and Agatha. Her biography of her husband, The Life of Kenneth Tynan, was published to great acclaim in 1987. Kathleen Tynan died in 1995.