Terribly Intimate Portraits

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

26649

Title

Terribly Intimate Portraits

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A whimsical satire by Noël Coward, this book presents a gallery of fictional historical figures and eccentric personalities. With a playful, self-aware tone, it blends absurd biographies with mock-serious commentary, inviting readers to laugh at the very idea of historical portraiture while celebrating the enduring spirit of romance and heroism.

Summary up to 500 words

Noël Coward's *Terribly Intimate Portraits* is a satirical masterpiece that blurs the lines between history and fiction, presenting a gallery of elaborate, tongue-in-cheek biographies. The book opens with Coward's humorous diary of his travels in America, filled with absurd encounters, witty observations on Broadway, and surreal interactions with famous figures like Alexander Woollcott and Lynn Fontanne. This section establishes the book's playful tone before transitioning into its core: a series of fictionalized portraits of historical and contemporary personalities. Coward resurrects the "souls" of characters such as Julie de Poopinac, a tragic court beauty whose life at Versailles is marked by the sudden death of her husband and her eventual, fatal fall from the balcony while playing Juliet. Another central figure is Jake D'Annunzio Spout, a genius writer who rises from a New York delicatessen to literary fame only to meet a tragic end at a Coney Island carnival. The narrative also explores the life of Ah! Ah!, the noble Queen of the Rude Islands, who reforms her kingdom's customs and rules with firm affection until her death. Throughout the text, Coward employs exaggerated praise, ridiculous anecdotes, and invented names to parody traditional biography. His author's note defiantly protests against critics who claim inaccuracies, insisting that his memoirs are historically precise. Similarly, the foreword argues that romance and heroism are not dead but merely waiting to be rediscovered by those who look beyond the "dreary, unlovely minds" of modern realists. The book concludes with a glossary of fictional characters and mock press notices that further enhance its meta-fictional, comedic nature. Ultimately, *Terribly Intimate Portraits* celebrates the absurdity of human ambition and the enduring power of storytelling, creating a surreal world where fact and fantasy dissolve into a single, entertaining narrative.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26649.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg26649.epub

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Categories

• Essays
• Humor