A landmark: these letters and their extensive annotation provide a virtual biography of the most important British composer since Purcell. All those interested in music in the twentieth century must read these volumes, which also provide intriguing snapshots of the recent British past."--Peter Stansky, Stanford University "This is the composer who turned his paranoia as homosexual and pacifist into the classic 20th-century opera, "Peter Grimes. "Now at last we have some really new material about that personal experience. It turns out to be even more fascinating than one could have imagined."--Philip Brett, editor of "Cambridge Opera Handbook