Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #237654 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

TATLER
"his diaries are a scream... Gorge yourself on his son's finely tuned edition"

Review
"a portrait of an equable, intelligent man, by profession a diplomat and politician, in private, a dedicated hedonist, a reckless gambler and bon viveur, with a profound love of literature and an insatiable appetite for beautiful women... good diaries, candid and courageous... as his son, John Julius Norwich, writes in an excellent Introduction." (SELINA HASTINGS SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

"John Julius Norwich provides a short though admirably well-judged introduction and footnotes identifying all the characters... evident are [Duff Cooper's] courage, his exuberance, his sense of humour, his lack of pomposity, his warmth, his loyalty. This is a dazzling self-portrait of a man who lived life to the full, relished it enormously and gave much joy to others in so doing." (PHILIP ZIEGLER SPECTATOR )

"enthralling volume, scrupulously edited, is a welcome act of filial homage that brings to life a world that now seems as remoteas Restoration England... a vivid, fascinating... portrait of an age. Frank, amusing and generally well-written... Duff Cooper was a good scholar , had ambitions to be a poet and wrote a fine biography of Talleyrand. Posthumously, with this absorbing portrait of a lost world, has has perhaps completed the book he was born to write." (Robert McCrum OBSERVER )

"His proximity to power, such as his involvement in the abdication crisis as a close friend of Edward VIII's and his resignation as a cabinet minister in protest at Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policy, gives his diaries a certain energy, as does the busy whirl of upper class socialising and philandering that seemed to take up so much of his time." (FINANCIAL TIMES )

"Cooper was a phenomenon. For nearly half a century after 1914, he was close to the centre of events in Britain, and since he was in turn a diplomat, solider, backbench politican, cabinet minister, envoy to Charles de Gaulle's Free French and then Britain's post-war ambassador in Paris, he was often a participant in these events. He was clever and gifted... brave" (THE ECONOMIST )

"We must salute the industry and courage of John Julius Norwich and his wife in preparing this highly readable book from what mut have been mountainous material. The notes and link passages are exemplary. The pages on the Abdication are riveting." (AN WILSON COUNTRY LIFE )

"Duff Cooper, an exceptionally fluent writer... could have made a fortune from publishing his own [diaries]... Who but he could offer an insider's view, not only of the Munich crisis, the general strike and life among the Free French in Algeria, but of Edward VIII in the feverish days before his abdication?... the diaries confirm him to have been a politician of exceptional ability." (MIRANDA SEYMOUR SUNDAY TIMES )

"I thought the Duff Cooper Diaries were interesting and terrific, and also made me envious as hell. Oh, to have lived back then. People sure had fun... Read the Diaries and see how we used to live, and weep." (TAKI SPECTATOR )

"reveals Viscount Norwich's life as politician, diplomat and socialite. Publication of these highly revealing diaries has long been resisted by Norwich's family - part of the diaries were nearly burnt as they were considered so shocking." (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

"his diaries are a scream... Gorge yourself on his son's finely tuned edition" (TATLER )

"The great merit - at times the rich delight - of these diaries is as the record of an exuberant, sensual, selfish and ambitious homme du monde living comfortably during uncomfortable times." (Richard Davenport-Hines TLS )

"These diaries are a revelation... The diary is beautifully edited, with notes which provide just the right amount of information, and John Julius Norwich has written a perfectly judged introduction. As a candid record of an extraordinary marriage, this book is gripping." (LITERARY REVIEW )

"deserve to be read for their candour and compulsive readability." (MICHAEL GOVE THE TIMES )

SELINA HASTINGS, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"a portrait of an equable, intelligent man, by profession a diplomat and politician, in private, a dedicated hedonist, a reckless gambler and bon viveur, with a profound love of literature and an insatiable appetite for beautiful women... good diaries, candid and courageous... as his son, John Julius Norwich, writes in an excellent Introduction."

Customer Reviews

Interesting and Insightful
I chose this book on a whim after seeing it in a bookshop. Although I barely knew anything about Duff Cooper I was instantly attracted by the anecdotes and events chronicled in this unique collection of diaries. Duff Cooper was witness to the most key events in Britain's history between 1914-1950, including his experience on the front line in WW1. Throughout Cooper describes the social scene that he belonged to and the famous faces he frequently met and became friends with.

Although Duff Cooper may not seem an easy man to like, his diaries are gripping. Like the biographies of the Mitford Girls these diaries give an insight into an almost forgotten world. The book is excellently edited with handy footnotes to explain the people Cooper encounters. Easy to dip in and out of this book is a must for anyone who wants an inside look into the private lives of politicians and a taste of life during and between the wars.

What a lucky man
I read a lot of diaries and this one is well up there with the most informative and entertaining. I found Cooper to be a man who grew up during the course of these diaries and from playboy status became a very thoughtful minister at the time of impending war with Germany.
Fascinating to hear of his obsessions with women,good food and drink. Not perhaps a nice man as he clearly cheated on his beautiful wife many times.
The insights into relationships with important figures of the day are a helpful aid to understanding these complicated personalities. If you like diaries please try Harold Nicholson's they are probably better and more carefully written and cover a similar period of time.