Ayn Rand admired playwright Noel Coward, whose birthday is celebrated on December 16th. A book outlet affiliated with Rand during her lifetime lauded Coward for creating "an enchanting world whose chief characteristics are brilliant wit, spirited intelligence and sophisticated cheerfulness." Among his most famous plays are Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter, and Hay Fever.

Coward also composed and performed songs of equal sophistication and wit. A new CD of Coward's songs, The Noel Coward Songbook, has been released on the EMI label, and performed by the popular contemporary British tenor Ian Bostridge. According to Jay Nordlinger in National Review (11/25/02): "These numbers contain a surprising variety: Some are novelty songs, and some are quite a bit better than that. All have an effect. Coward was a clever composer, and, as a lyricist, of course: beyond clever. He has a stylish interpreter in Ian Bostridge. Seldom has the old smoothie been treated so well."

The Noel Coward Songbook is available for purchase online at www.amazon.com, as are collections of Coward's plays, and various biographies.

For true devotees, The Noel Coward Society, headquartered in Britain, maintains a Web site (www.noelcoward.net) devoted to all aspects of his life and career.