The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan

Crackling, witty diaries by Kenneth Tynan, the feared and admired theatre critic

'Kenneth Tynan is about to become a star...his scandalous diaries are a confessional cross between the two Alans, Clark and Bennett' Scotland on Sunday

'No one, they say, ever erected a statue to a critic, but Kenneth Tynan has bequeathed something even larger to posterity: a legendary life' Guardian


A brilliant and feared critic, Kenneth Tynan was a nabob of the National Theatre alongside Laurence Olivier, and he was also the daring impresario who created 'Oh Calcutta'.

He was a notorious eccentric, a louche sophisticate: connoisseur of cuisine, wine, literature and women. Where else could you find such a judicious blend of aesthetics, theatre lore, love, marriage, sex and politics?

These sizzling diaries will remind older readers of a man whose reputation as the greatest critic of the twentieth century is still unchallenged and introduce younger readers to an electrifying writer who simply could not be boring.