John Lahr has been writing about theatre and popular culture for The New Yorker since 1992. He is the author of sixteen books, among them Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr and Prick up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton and Dame Edna Everage and The Rise of Western Civilization.
Perhaps the most brilliant and feared theatre critic of his generation, Kenneth Tynan was responsible for 'Oh! Calcutta!', and was also a notorious eccentric, who enjoyed wine, literature and women and the first person to say the 'f' word on television. A larger-than-life character, he "combined the soul of a artist with the descriptive skill of a journalist". His diaries, as edited by John Lahr (senior drama critic of the New Yorker and writer of a definitive study of Joe Orton), have been eagerly awaited and, sure enough, they prove as colourful and controversial as the legendary figure who originated them. He knew everybody, and everyone wanted to know him, on both sides of the Atlantic. He was at the centre of the theatre and film worlds. Such was - and is - Tynan's stature and influence that the publication of this collection must rank as something of an event. Whether talking about the National Theatre, psychoanalysis, his much-talked-about sado-masochistic relationships, or just watching Muhammad Ali fight on TV, he is never less than riveting. For many this will be an essential purchase - Tynan still wears well.
Perhaps the most brilliant and feared theatre critic of his generation, Kenneth Tynan was responsible for 'Oh! Calcutta!', and was also a notorious eccentric, who enjoyed wine, literature and women and the first person to say the 'f' word on television. A larger-than-life character, he "combined the soul of a artist with the descriptive skill of a journalist". His diaries, as edited by John Lahr (senior drama critic of the New Yorker and writer of a definitive study of Joe Orton), have been eagerly awaited and, sure enough, they prove as colourful and controversial as the legendary figure who originated them. He knew everybody, and everyone wanted to know him, on both sides of the Atlantic. He was at the centre of the theatre and film worlds. Such was - and is - Tynan's stature and influence that the publication of this collection must rank as something of an event. Whether talking about the National Theatre, psychoanalysis, his much-talked-about sado-masochistic relationships, or just watching Muhammad Ali fight on TV, he is never less than riveting. For many this will be an essential purchase - Tynan still wears well.
Tynan was the most respected and feared theater critic of his age, a board member of London's National Theatre, and a producer of Oh! Calcutta! Edited by New Yorker drama critic Lahr (Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton), his diaries, dating from 1970 to his death in 1980 at the age of 53, will sell for the wrong reasons. His politics (Marxist) and his sexual habits (sadomasochist) provide sensationalism to spare: his observations will thus offend, titillate, or amuse. Tynan had acquaintances but few friends; a shameless name dropper, he sought the warmth of social contact. The value of this diary rests in its honesty, self-loathing, pleasure in life, and insight into his period. The critic's acumen illuminates the text throughout, as Tynan documents the shift in power from the Olivier years to the Peter Hall regime at the National Theatre, critiques travel and food, and savors the human comedy. After leaving the National, his life disintegrated into frantic travel, a search for work, and horror as his final illness, emphysema, destroyed him. Obituaries of departed friends and a clear-sighted examination of his failing talents make this a sustained and tragic document. Recommended with caution. Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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