Masquerade : The Lives of Noel Coward by Oliver Soden publishing after more than a year

after more than a year of careful planning

among other things

he sought out the inner narratives of war and politics in dozens of troubled places

A rich farmer fears he'll go to hell for cheating his neighbours

Masquerade : The Lives of Noel Coward by Oliver Soden publishing after more than a yearThe voice, the dressing gown, the cigarette in its holder, remain unmistakable. There is rarely a week when one of Private Lives, Hay Fever, and Blithe Spirit is not in production somewhere in the world. Phrases from Noel Coward's songs "Mad About The Boy", "Mad Dogs and Englishman" are forever lodged in the public consciousness. He was at one point the most highly paid author in the world. Yet some of his most striking and daring writing remains