Profiles

by kenneth-tynan-kathleen-tynan

The only collection of Tynan's star-studded profiles, selected and edited by his widow and biographer, Kathleen Tynan, with a foreword by Simon Callow. Kenneth Tynan was the 20th century's most influential writer on theatre and performance. Over the course of his life he wrote a series of brilliant and incisive pen-portraits of many of the most significant performers and writers of his day. Amongst the fifty assembled here are profiles of actors such as Garbo, Bogart, Cagney, Olivier and Gielgud; the directors George Cukor, Peter Brook and Joan Littlewood; writers such as Bertolt Brecht, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams; and comedians as diverse as Mel Brooks, Eric Morecambe, W.C. Fields and Lenny Bruce. 'We had thought to have seen the last of Tynan. Now, suddenly, a new volume a collection of fifty profiles of the famous... More than a third of the pieces are new - at least in book form - which in itself is cause enough for dancing... One does not have to like theatre to cherish these pieces... It is a book to savour in small doses, the better to postpone the sadness of reaching its end' Hugh Leonard 'Tynan was unique in that he combined the soul of an artist with the descriptive skill of a journalist... He was an ideal profile writer, as this book eloquently testifies' Michael Billington, Guardian

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Drama, Biography

437 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[WB1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Kenneth Tynan, you realize how paltry are the critics today.

This book of interviews and reflections is brilliant. He write about figures of the 1950s, 60s and 70s -- a group that ranges from Bogart and Welles and Graham Greene and Garbo to Lenny Bruce and Mel Brooks and Judy Holliday. What makes him so terrific is his generosity

A great book .

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than his profile of Tom Stoppard, which seemed to drag on forever, these were largely well written & interesting & made for enjoyable reading

[Jon Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenneth Tynan’s profiles largely live up to his flamboyant reputation, his prose happily glorifying the people whose work he admired. Many of these pieces are standard newspaper profiles enlivened by florid yet sharp turns of phrase and sharp insights. Probably the best pieces come towards the end when the New Yorker allowed him plenty of space to profile his targets; it’s often fascinating to see a fine critical mind at work (or enjoying itself a little too much as is evident in the Nicol Williamson profile). Probably the highlight is the very last piece in the book, a piece which details the career of Louise Brooks, an old Hollywood starlet who departed for European arthouse cinema and ended up forgotten and alone in New York but for a few articles on cinema. It feels like a mature, melancholy tribute to a youthful heroine who retains her fascination. Like all the richest food though it’s best sampled in small portions so the prose doesn’t cloy and being to feel too heavy. This book should probably come with a health warning; that it may destroy the love of even the hardiest Marvel fan. It’s an unofficial history of one of the dominant cultural forces of the late twentieth century, taking the story from its origins as Timely Comics to the point of what looks like their greatest triumph; the conquering of the silver screen.

[JulieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't read this cover to cover, as I can only get so interested in reading profiles of entertainment figures from previous eras that I've never heard of. But I enjoyed the ones I chose to read, especially Katharine Hepburn, Martha Graham, and (especially especially) Mel Brooks.