The story of Stoppard's life is a compelling one and it is laid out with extraordinary detail in this first major biography - Evening Standard Double Act is the first major biography of one of the world's celebrated most writers, From his early theatrical success as the youngest playwright ever produced at the National Theatre, to his Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love, Tom Stoppard's work is renowned for its dazzling wit, invention and box-office appeal. But his real life is a more complicated affair still; and this acclaimed and authoritative book reveals the remarkable private story of a man who from childhood had to invent his own personality, and whose multi-layered dramas reflect the enduring contradictions of his life.An impressive biography ...it makes a good story out of that most unpromising subject, an unqualified and extended triumph. Spectator Appealingly embellished with Stoppard's shrewd witticisms about his work and full of keen perceptions of its own, Double Act offers an exhaustive and enlightening overview of a singular talent that is happiest when expressing itself in dual ways. Sunday Times Nadel is excellent at providing an exposition of Stoppard's ideas and the wider social context in which he lives. Independent on Sunday A searching biography of this mercurial writer ...Nadel builds an engrossing picture of someone in continual self-reinvention. Jewish Chronicle Stoppard's playwriting career, unsurprisingly, constitutes the largest component of the biography, and the production details, gossip and contractual facts make for fascinating reading. Irish Times If the genius of Nadel's subject lies in paradox, it also needs genius to turn that paradox into an event. This book is one, and a palpable hit. Good Book Guide Essential reading for all students of theatre. Hampstead & Highgate