"An original, intelligent, fascinating study of Porter’s creative process and technique. - James Robert Parish, coauthor of The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era Bernard F. Dick’s deep dive into the work of Cole Porter is a skillful blend of musical theater history, biography, and astute literary analysis that sheds new light on Porter’s dazzling contribution to twentieth-century popular culture. By studying Porter’s lyrics as poetry and exploring his influences from Greek mythology and Shakespeare to Gilbert and Sullivan, Dick shows how Porter transformed musical theater and popular song with his witty and sophisticated command of language and his daring exploration of genres and themes. Informed by both original research and personal insights, Dick’s masterful examination of Porter’s prolific career, including both his successes and his failures on stage and screen, is a window on to the work of one of the most singular talents of the American theater." - Barbara Hall, coeditor of Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking
