Author Description

Ira Nadel recounts Stoppard's life, from his escape as a child from the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, via Singapore and India to Britain, and his youth in swinging '60s London. Tom Stoppard was the youngest playwright ever produced at the National Theatre, and his career progressed to success in the West End and international recognition. Exploring past and present friendships and partnerships - with Kenneth Tynan, Peter O'Toole, Trevor Nunn, Miriam Stoppard, Felicity Kendal and Marie Helvin among many others - as well as the human rights work of his more recent years, this is a portrait of the man behind the plays. Nadel's study shows how Stoppard's life imitates his art and vice versa: the multiple identities of the plays reflecting his multi-layered past, the apparent contradictions of his life giving rise to dramatic works that explore the shifting nature of reality. This biography draws on inside sources including Stoppard's own notebooks & letters, some of which are previously unpublished.