Present Indicative - Paperback

by Noël Coward (Author)

"I was photographed naked on a cushion very early in life, an insane, toothless smile slitting my face and pleats of fat overlapping me like an ill-fitting overcoat. Later, at the age of two, I was photographed again. This time in a lace dress, leaning against a garden roller and laughing hysterically. If these photographs can be found they will adorn this book."

Thus begins the life story of one of the most celebrated characters in British theatrical history, in the first of Coward's autobiographies, first published in 1937. Displaying an early dedication to the theatre, Present Indicative hints at the success that would come to Coward as actor, playwright, novelist and performer. Each line is punctuated with his trademark effervescent wit, making this book a comic tour de force in it's own right, as well as a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the British stage.

"He is simply a phenomenon, and one that is unlikely to occur ever again in theatre history" Terence Rattigan

Author Biography

Noel Coward was born in Teddington, Middlesex on 16 December 1899. A professional stage actor from the age of twelve, Coward later created a sensation as a playwright, with titles such as Hay Fever, The Vortex, Private Lives, Cavalcade, Blithe Spirit, and Design For Living. In the forties he was involved in film, with adaptations of Blithe Spirit and Brief Encounter, before starting a new career as a cabaret performer in the fifties. A celebrated wit and prodigious theatrical talent, Coward wrote over a hundred works in various different genres. He was knighted in 1970 and died three years later in Jamaica.