Kenneth Tynan

Tynan was not only the 20th century's most influential theatre critic, but his writing was itself a 'high-definition performance' - one of the qualities he always sought in others. This volume brings together the best of Tynan's theatre writing drawn from his twelve years as a theatre critic (1951-63).

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Following on from his "Diaries and Letters", comes this long awaited selection of the best of Tynan's theatre criticism. 'I doubt,' wrote Kenneth Tynan in his review of "Look Back in Anger", 'if I could love anyone who did not wish to see this play'. Famous above all for his championship of the Angry Young Men at the Royal Court and for heralding Brecht, Beckett and Pinter, Tynan was not only the 20th century's most influential theatre critic, but his writing was itself a 'high-definition performance' - one of the qualities he always sought in others. This volume, selected and edited by Tynan's biographer, Dominic Shellard, brings together the best of Tynan's theatre writing drawn from his twelve years as a theatre critic (1951-63). Included are ground-breaking reviews of plays by Arthur Miller, John Osborne, T.S.Eliot and Noel Coward, as well as articles on such topics as Broadway musicals, censorship, Brecht in Berlin and the National Theatre, where he was to be Olivier's right-hand man - thus ending his career as a critic. All of Tynan's theatre criticism has been out of print for many years - a fact regularly lamented by reviewers.
This new, comprehensive selection will be the standard reference point for Tynan's work for years to come, as well as providing useful contexts for each review.