Francis Poulenc (20th-Century Composers)

Rating:
Summary: A good gossipy overview of Poulenc's life
Review: A much needed book, as there is no new biography of Poulenc in English or for that matter in French since the Henri Hell book of 1958, which was subsequently revised in the late 1970s. Ivry is much franker about Poulenc's private life than earlier writers as the publication of unexpurgated editions of Poulenc's letters allows this now. I could have done with some more relevant pictures: for instance there is a two page spread devoted to a picture of a ballet version of the Gloria, a curious choice. There is another book out there waiting to be written about this fascinating and contradictory character.