Tom Stoppard: A Life

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A perfect match of writer and subject, one of our most brilliant biographers explores the life of a towering literary figure with his cooperation and access to unseen material. Known for his narrative inventiveness and keen attention to language, Tom Stoppard deftly incorporates art, science, history, politics, and philosophy across various genres, including theater, radio, film, TV, journalism, and fiction. His acclaimed works, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Real Thing, Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, and Shakespeare in Love, continue to resonate with audiences. Stoppard's life is equally captivating; born in Czechoslovakia, he escaped the Nazis with his mother and spent his early years in Singapore and India before arriving in England at eight. Forgoing university, he launched a remarkable career and formed friendships with a diverse array of notable figures, including Peter O'Toole, Harold Pinter, Stephen Spielberg, Mick Jagger, and Vaclav Havel. Identifying as a "bounced Czech," he was later surprised to discover his Jewish heritage and the relatives lost in the Holocaust—secrets his mother had kept from him. The biographer's in-depth analysis weaves Stoppard's life and work into a vivid, insightful portrait of an extraordinary man.