Notes on Isherwood

Once again, our friend Mike Mazza has been kind enough to share his extensive notes on a BookMen selection: in this case, Christopher Isherwood's memoir, Christopher and His Kind, for which he led last night's discussion. Thanks again, Mike! I always find these notes useful and hope you will, too. Just note that the citations (e.g., loc 78, 8%, etc.) below refer to the Kindle edition, not the paperback.

Notes on Christopher and His Kind, updated 241228.

Author: Christopher Isherwood.

Full title: “Christopher and His Kind: 1929-1939.”

Copyright 1976.

My introductory comments:

—This is a book that I nominated for the Bookmen reading list without having read it myself—and without having read any other books by Isherwood! But I nominated it because I consider Isherwood to be a major, even essential, gay author and I have intended to read something by him for a long time.

—Also, I really enjoyed the documentary film Chris and Don: A Love Story, about the relationship between Isherwood and his long time partner Don Bachardy, who achieved fame in his own right as a portrait painter.

—Isherwood is, in my estimation, an artist whose work remains relevant and enjoyable both within an LGBTQ context and in the larger culture—look, for example, at the most recent revival of the musical Cabaret, which has its source material in Isherwood’s work.

General comments

—A remarkable memoir. Funny, prophetic, chilling, tender, inspiring.

—I am intrigued by the way Isherwood cites secondary sources, such as the diary of his mother Kathleen (p 87, p 248), a recent letter from Stephen Spender (88), Gerald Hamilton’s book Mr. Norris and I (91), an autobiographical book by John Lehmann (103), a letter from E. M. Forster (117), the diary of Virginia Woolf (327), and his own fiction.

—This is very much a book about writers and writing; he looks at the publishing industry, his fellow writers of the time, etc. See his comments especially on his relationship with Edward Upward on p. 107, and the importance of Forster to Isherwood: 112. Also the role of a film assignment on “Little Friend” to his education as a writer: 176. —his notion of the embryos of novels starting as “interlocked Siamese twins or triplets”: 183. Compare his musings on the novel to Forster’s book length work on his theories of the novel. —his resolve to keep writing after traumatic separation from Heinz: 284. —recurring subject: his fruitful, ongoing play writing collaboration with Wystan Hugh Auden.

—The portrayal of Forster, and of his personal relationship with Isherwood, is especially rich and moving. It is especially significant in terms of the age difference between the two men.

—note also the political currents that sweep through the narrative—the rise of Nazism in Germany and the international Communist movement.

—note his relationships with many women, including his mother. Also, with writer Beatrix Lehmann. Also, actress Jean Ross (the model for his fictional creation Sally Bowles).

Passages to read aloud:

—Forster and the art of writing: p 112. —vivid description of German complacency towards Nazi thuggism: 128+. —observations on Forster’s Maurice: 132. Also 133. —diary entry in which C describes Wystan: 243. —“Passportless rabbits”: 281. —Perception of New York City: 340 (“rude steel nudity”).

Funny!:

—Christopher as Forster’s disciple: 112. —letter from Upward reflecting on C’s relationship with his mother: 117. —satire of Virginia Woolf’s style: 120. —C’s writerly struggle on the island of St. Nicholas: 145.

Quotable:

—On his need to write: p 145 (“I must write.”) —on crying (“very hard to cry”): p 284.

Themes:

—gay men as a tribe, a brotherhood: 168, 169, 337. —the burden placed on C and Heinz as a homosexual/international couple: 253, 280, 291. —the geographic travels of Christopher and his associates: to a Greek island, the Canary Islands, Portugal, Denmark, Berlin, Paris, Dover, Egypt. —variety of C’s experiences as a professional writer, to include involvement with the theater, the film industry, and writing reviews for a periodical. —Specters of Hitler, Nazism and war hanging over the narrative throughout, sometimes very directly.

Cringeworthy passages that have not aged well:

—ethnic homosexual rape fantasy: p 19. —C’s offensive nickname for Heinz: 98. —Jewish attitude towards homosexuals: 168.

Notes on individual chapters

Chapter One: p 7; loc 33; 1%. —states frank and factual nature of this memoir. —prior autobiographical book should be read as a novel. —W.H. Auden. —young Christopher’s homosexuality and inhibitions based on class and nationality. —young Christopher and Berlin. —meeting Bubi at the Cosy Corner. Their relationship; Bubi as mythic “Wanderer.” —his infatuation with blonds and personal mythology: p 10. —Christopher and John Layard: p 12. —Wystan and Christopher go to Amsterdam to meet the fugitive Bubi. —after a sexual experience with a woman, C reflects on his orientation: p 17. —C returns to Germany and goes to see his acquaintance Francis in Berlin. —Dr. Hirschfeld’s Institute: 20

Chapter Two: p 21; loc 226; 5%. —C’s perceptions of the staff and guests of the Institute. —the museum of the Institute: p 22. C’s awareness of his “tribe.” —visit from Andre Gide. —history of Hirschfeld and his Institute. His campaign against Paragraph 175; specter of Nazism. —Work of the Institute legal department. —H’s sister is C’s landlady: 25. —C’s work as an English teacher. —C works on his novel. —description of Francis, archeologist who is being treated for syphilis at the Institute. —C and Francis in the bars:pp 32+. —C’s relationships with the underclass young men who frequented the gay bars; compare to the gay world described in Rechy’s City of Night. —C goes to a gay ball dressed like a street hustler: 40. —Conrad Veidt and his gay-themed films.

Chapter Three: p 42; loc 516; 11%. —A 1930 letter from C to Stephen Spender. —C’s homosexual uncle Henry Isherwood provides an allowance. Their relationship. —conflict between C’s brother Richard and their mother: 44. —C’s own strife with his mother. —C’s diary of his life in Germany: 46. —his letters from this time. —C and Otto, a narcissistic bisexual; their sexual relationship. —note interspersed sequences from C’s novel Goodbye to Berlin, where Otto is fictionalized. —Wystan’s visit and his writing: 52. —visit from Edward Upward, C’s closest heterosexual male friend: 53. —their relationship as fellow writers. —political rise of Nazism: 55. —C goes to live with Otto’s family in a small attic flat that shared a common toilet. —C explains difference between novelized version of this period. —class issues in his “slumming” with Nowak family. —C moves and gets a room to himself: 60. —Quote about C from Spender autobiography: 60. —Spender becomes a pupil in writing to C in Berlin.

Chapter Four: p 64; loc 820; 17%. —C moves again, from working class to middle class Berlin. —The phrase “I am a camera” and the stage adaptation of C’s novel about this period in his life. —His new landlady at Nollendorfstrasse, Meta Thurau, and her fictional counterpart from his writings. —Jean Ross, the basis for Sally Bowles, and her relationship to C. —his comments on John van Druten’s play based on his fiction: p 68+. —the stage musical Cabaret and the film version; evolution of the lead male character across versions. —C’s Jewish friend Wilfred; threat of Nazism. —Young C’s attitude towards Hindus: p 77. —Gerald Hamilton, sales representative of the Times of London for Germany.

Chapter Five: p 86; loc 1140; 23%. —awaiting publisher’s decision on his new book. —Note C’s use of the diary of his mother Kathleen in writing this book—example reference p 87. —his second novel rejected by publisher. —holiday with Stephen, Wystan and Otto. My note: Three literary giants plus Otto! —C and Klaus Mann, son of Nobelist Thomas. Klaus’ 1949 suicide: 92. —Hogarth Press accepts The Memorial. Its eventual publication. —C and Gerald Hamilton cope with financial and political currents. —Gerald’s problematic relationship with Communism. —one reviewer on homosexual characters in The Memorial: 96. —C goes to live with Francis in a country village of Mohrin. —C has a romantic relationship with the house servant Heinz: 98. —his appreciation of Spender’s photographs of this period: 100. —C decides to finally master the subjunctive mood of the German language.

Chapter Six: p 102; loc 1368; 28%. —C visits England. —his friend Hector Wintle, who has completed medical school. —my note: note C’s romantic reflection on Hector’s prospective visit to Hong Kong — visit with John Lehmann at Hogarth Press: 103. —C’s friendship with L’s sisters. —impact of Edward Upward’s short story “Sunday” on C: 106+. —C’s relationship with Olive Mangeot, another Communist: 107+. —Gerald Heard and Chris Wood. —William Plomer: p 111. —C and E. M. Forster—“his master”: p 111+. —Forster and the key to the art of writing: 112. —conflict between C and Spender. —C begins writing fiction about Berlin: 115. —he leaves England again.

Chapter Seven: p 117; loc 1579; 32%. —ironic account of a royal wedding, attended by Gerald Hamilton, at which deposed royals were present: p 118+. —Nazis suffer an electoral setback: 119. —C’s ongoing flirtation with Communism. —C and writer Beatrix Lehmann: 122. Fascinating portrait of her. —Black Peter card game described: 123. —Spender’s poetry collection published. —Hitler appointed Chancellor. —C notes that Hitler’s steps towards dictatorship were all legal: 128. —“boy bars” oppressed under Nazis: 131. —ironic account of a male homosexual couple who foolishly admired the Nazis. —C back in London. —Forster shows C a typescript of his novel Maurice; important!: 132. —Forster as a “great prophet of their tribe”: 133. —planned group trip to Greece in shadow of growing Nazi oppression. —Hirschfeld Institute raided: 135. Description of event reminds me of January 6, 2021 attack on US capitol. —public book burning. —insight into van Druten’s stage adaptation of C’s work. —reunion with his landlady after the war; gift of a clock.

Chapter Eight: p 139; loc 1900; 39%. —insight from Edward Upward on his work as a writer: 140. —trip to Greece begins. Note description of trek through Europe. —Location of St. Nicholas, island on which Francis was building his house: 143. —life on the island; C’s struggle to write. —C’s relationship with Heinz; his jealousy. —C and Heinz depart island and go to France. —They travel to England: p 152. —Heinz returns to Germany when his tourist permit expires.

Chapter Nine: p 154; loc 2122; 43%. —Jean Ross helps C get a screenwriting job with director Berthold Viertel, who becomes the basis for a character In Prater Violet. Film title is Little Friend. —Viertel: also a German-language poet: 159. —C’s reaction to an offensive anecdote about homosexuals from Viertel: 162+. —C asked to stay on as dialogue director for the film. —C meets Heinz upon the latter’s arrival in Britain; no hugs or kiss; important: 164. —Heinz stopped at passport office due to class issue. C questioned along angle of homosexual suspicion. He is sent back. —C’s observations about the filmmaking world. —Forster’s visit to the film set: 175.

Chapter Ten: p 177; loc 2455; 50%. —March 1934: C rejoins Heinz in Amsterdam. —Their journey to Gran Canaria and exploration of the Island. —C struggles while writing his novel about Berlin. Proposed title “The Lost.” —C and Heinz travel to Tenerife: 185. —trip to island volcano with a German schoolmaster; C’s musings on the menace of Nazism: 187+. —C works on technical/stylistic aspects of his in-progress Berlin novel: 189+. —a homosexual narrator in the novel? —concept of a “dynamic portrait” novel: 192. —he finishes the novel. —tour of three westernmost Canary Islands: 194. —C and Heinz settle in Copenhagen.

Chapter Eleven: p 196; loc 2729; 56%. —meeting Stephen Spender’s brother Michael and Michael’s wife Erica in Copenhagen. —While living with Heinz in Copenhagen, C collaborates with Wystan on a play. —The year 1935: p 201. —Wystan arrives in Denmark to continue on the play. —worries about possible German conscription and implications for Heinz. —C & Heinz go to Brussels: 205. —C as book reviewer for The Listener. —Forster on C’s book “Mr Norris”: 208. —C declines a marriage of convenience that would have helped Erika Mann. —At C’s suggestion she marries Wystan instead: 212. —outline of planned novel Paul Is Alone: 212+. —another attempt to get a permit for Heinz to stay in Belgium: 222.

Chapter Twelve: p 226; loc 3178; 65%. —Maritime voyage. —At a hotel 15 miles outside Lisbon. —the group of 4 settles into a cottage in Portugal. —C’s relationship with the Hogarth Press and with Virginia Woolf: 241. —Wystan visits the cottage in Portugal to collaborate with C on a new play. —Publication of “Sally Bowles” as a small stand alone volume rather than as a magazine piece: 247. —Heinz receives his notice of impending conscription. —burden on C and Heinz as a homosexual couple facing a possible deportation crisis: p 253. Important! Compare to the Wystan Auden/Erika Mann marriage of convenience described previously. —Genesis of Spanish Civil War.

Chapter Thirteen: p 256; loc 3650; 74%. —continued drama over the effort to help Heinz avoid conscription; possibility of Mexican citizenship. —historical context: Spanish Civil War; Edward VIII abdication: 262. —Wystan’s plan to go to Spain, and the reaction of the British press. —confirmation from lawyer that Heinz had been denied permission to enter England on “moral” grounds; 267. —production of play written by C and Wystan, “The Ascent of F6,” and C’s relationship with play director Rupert Doone: 268+. —C and Heinz go to Paris. —trouble with Heinz’ permit to stay in France: 275.

Chapter Fourteen: p 278; loc 3964; 81%. —C in Luxembourg. —still pursuing a Mexican passport for Heinz. Expulsion crisis in Luxembourg. —Heinz arrested in Germany as a draft evader: 282. —C questions his own seeming failure to do enough to help Heinz: 287. —C finishes a draft of “Lions and Shadows”: 287. —Heinz’ trial. C implicated. My note: compare to Quentin Crisp’s account of his own trial in The Naked Civil Servant. —Heinz sentenced to 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years combined labor and military service: 288. —a new play collaboration with Wystan—“On the Frontier”: 289. —flash forward to reunion with Heinz 15 years later: 292. —planned trips for C and Wystan to both wartime Spain and wartime China. They withdraw from planned Spain trip. —January 1938: C and W begin their trek to China: p 296.

Chapter Fifteen: p 297; loc 4235; 86%. —C and Wystan enroute to China. —stop enroute at Port Said, Egypt; reunion with Francis: p 298. —poignant flash forward to death of Francis. —Arrival in Hong Kong: 301. —Their wanderings around mainland China; book “Journey to a War.” —impressions of wartime China. —Guests of British ambassador in Shanghai. —They leave China; ironic port stops in Japan enroute to Vancouver. —Arrival in Vancouver: p 314. —Arrival in New York. —Introduced to “Vernon,” C’s real life “American Boy” fantasy: 316+. My note: compare this episode to John Rechy’s City of Night, especially the New York City section. —Thoughts on Walt Whitman and the American Boy. —The closeness of the relationship between C & Wystan. My note: this is one of the most touching elements in the book; the portrait of Wystan is loving and detailed.

Chapter Sixteen: p 319; loc 4549; 93%. —C & Wystan arrive back in London. —News of Heinz, then working off his year of labor service: 322. —Flash forward to Heinz marrying a woman. —C and Virginia Woolf: 326+. —C & Wystan depart for the US. —C’s thoughts on gay rights and anti-gay oppression: 336+. —C has an awakening as a pacifist. —Arrival in New York: 339, 340. —Narrative ends on a touching and hopeful note, humorously alluding to C’s future relationships with his long term partner Don Bachardy: p 342.

List of books by Isherwood: p 344; loc 4881; 100%.

The LGBT History Meetup

Longtime BookMen DC member Philip Clark has started a Meetup group, The LGBT History Meetup, to gather folks to attend LGBT history-related exhibits, films, discussions and other events. He's inviting Bookmen members to join the Meetup, and also inviting Meetup members to join Bookmen gatherings for any more overtly history-related books. If you have questions, feel free to ask him at a BookMen meeting or e-mail him at philipclark@hotmail.com.

Return to Brokeback Mountain

To celebrate its centenary, The New Yorker is running a series of reflections by authors on classic works of literature from its archive. Here is Michael Cunningham's essay on Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain," which first appeared in the magazine in October 1997.

World Pride reading

I want to share the following email from Andrew Lokay, from the Capital Pride Alliance:

"I’d like to invite you and your group to join us for the March meeting of the virtual WorldPride 2025 book club, which will be held Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. to discuss Kai Cheng Thom’s book of poetry Falling Back in Love with Being Human. We will have guests from the Prince George’s County library and human rights office.

More info and registration can be found online here: https://worldpridedc.org/events/book-club/."

A Gorey century

Tomorrow, Feb. 22, would be the 100th birthday of Edward Gorey (1925–2000), the famed writer, designer and artist whose absurdist humor and distinctive style of illustration—darkly crosshatched, vaguely Edwardian, and often gleefully grim—has inspired generations of devotees. To celebrate, the New York Review of Books just published From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey, a collection of never-before-seen art and letters sent by Gorey to his friend Tom Fitzharris. The book makes it apparent that, even in private correspondence, Gorey was meticulous, mischievous, creatively abundant, and always utterly himself.

To celebrate the centennial, NRB is offering a 25% discount on From Ted to Tom along with several titles that Gorey illustrated, including H. G. Well’s The War of the Worlds; a children’s book collaboration with Rhoda Levine; a book of Greek myths and legends; and a collection of classic horror stories chosen by Gorey himself. The sale ends Feb. 22 at midnight EST.

SEE THE BOOKS

In addition, here is a link to "Edward Gorey in the Basement," which reproduces an 11-part adventure serial Gorey drew for the NRB in 1975 called “La Malle Saignante” (“The Bleeding Trunk”), one episode of an unfinished project called Les Mystères de Constantinople. To celebrate Gorey’s centenary and the serial’s 50th anniversary—and with thanks to the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust—the magazine presents the entirety of “La Malle Sagnante” with an introduction by Lucas Adams, a senior editor at New York Review Comics, as well as four articles and one letter from its archives about Gorey and his legacy.

The weird Walt Whitman

In her essay, "Mortal Concerns: Community, Democracy and the Weird Mr. Whitman," poet Patricia Spears Jones, New York's current Poet Laurate, does not directly address Walt Whitman's sexuality. But she does allude to it in her closing:

[Engagement with Whitman's poetry] can "generate thought and new poems that can be shared by strangers from a range of ages, ethnicities, sexualities and genders. Our capacity to imagine democracy as part of the creative process is the complicated legacy of Whitman’s call. But poets make crazy demands upon language, and it seems to me that now is the time to demonstrate what language can do in a time of crisis—not only to protest the indignities of these times but also to protect our spirits."

This isn't a long essay, but it is an inspiring one. So I encourage you to check it out.

Some LGBTQ+ poetry for Valentine's Day

In honor of this special day, here are some LGBTQ-themed poems (not all by LGBTQ poets, I should note) from the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter. Enjoy!

Serenade by Djuna Barnes

Having a Coke with You by Frank O'Hara

To O.E.A by Claude McKay

Let's love each other by Jalal al-Din Rumi

When The World Falls in Around You or, Vows to My Palestinian Wife on Our Wedding Day by Lehua M. Taitano

How Some of Us Survived Cuando El Mundo Did Not Want Us by Emanuel Xavier

Anophasis Now by James Hannaham

January by Aldrin Regina Valdez

Surrender by Angelina Weld Grimké