Brilliantly entertaining diary entries from the original King of Style covering WW2 through to the late 60s - they end just as Coward had been told he was being knighted. In the meantime he undertook something of a roller coaster life - he never enjoyed the eminence of his pre-war days (his war stuff like In Which We Serve and Blithe Spirit stands tall but his post war stuff never seemed to capture long term public affection the way say Private Lives did), suffered constant battles with British authorities, especially tax ones - which denied him a knighthood for so long. On the other hand he did enjoy some success, particularly as a cabaret performer - certainly moving overseas for tax purposes secured his future financially.
Coward's life seems to have been a constant whirl of travel, lunches, dinners, parties, and mourning friends who died. He only got down in the dumps towards the end of the 60s, but always managed to find something to be cheery about. He was hurt by critical attacks, which must have been unduly harsh, but had many friends, including the royal family. He must have been marvellous company.
I could never figure out the him and Lester Cole thing - were they a couple or not? If so it seems they were not exclusive. I particularly enjoyed his reviews of various plays movies and books, not to mention his views of famous people he knew and political events (he picked that the alliance with Russia would not last the war - he was a solid Conservative though it was the Labor govt who gave him his knighthood). Wonderful.
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