Letters

I think the above review needs a corrective. Tynan was the sharpest, funniest, and best-informed theatre critic of his generation. He was also a wonderful stylist, and a precocious one: many writers never write as well as Tynan did while still in his teens. These letters can be enjoyed simply for their manipulation of language, but there's more to them than that. Tynan always liked to think of himself as an outsider, as someone pushing the envelope; yet he also was entranced by the establishment at play, and he enjoyed lowbrow entertainment almost as much as Shakespeare and Sophocles. These letters demonstrate this bifurcation of character, making for a sort of un-selfconscious autobiography. Well worth buying for anyone who likes reading letters, and a must for Tynan fans. when can we have some more of his work reisssued?