This is part of an ongoing series where I write about a different author for each letter of the alphabet. You can see them all here.
‘I’ was always going to be a tricky letter of the alphabet, wasn’t it? A toss up between Isherwood and Ishiguro, neither of whom I’ve read a lot by. But it does mean that I’m not doing my usual thing of forgetting to include some of their books in the picture! I only have five books by Isherwood.
How many books do I have by Christopher Isherwood?
Look, I just said. Five. I don’t even know how many he wrote, but I have decided to stop buying them until I read a few more.
How many of these have I read?
Two – Mr Norris Changes Trains and Prater Violet. I definitely preferred the second of these, largely because I had a wildly different idea of Isherwood in my head than the German sex clubs of Mr Norris Changes Trains, which I thought would be a charming rural tale, for some reason. Fun story: I was reading Mr Norris Changes Trains on a train and, when I got up to get off at my station, discovered that the woman in front of me had also been reading it. I wish I’d said something, but I had to ‘disembark’ (as they put it) before I ended up in the wilds of Devon.
How did I start reading Christopher Isherwood?
I picked up the Folio Mr Norris Changes Trains first, largely because that print is lovely. I don’t have the Folio case for it, so the print is always on display. And he is the sort of author you see a lot in secondhand bookshops, so it has been pretty easy to pick them up cheaply over time.
General impressions…
Difficult to draw any conclusions from two books, of course – especially since I was pretty lukewarm about one, and really liked Prater Violet. He is one of those writers whose life seems to interest people more than his writing now – is that fair? Anyway, I’m keen to read the others I have – but not yet quite keen enough to get to them. Thank goodness they’re short!
From the ones I have, anything particular you’d recommend?
And I think I’ll have more to say about J :D
I’ve never got round to Isherwood. I’ve got two, both of them listed in 1001 Books.
That’s hilarious about Changing Trains!
Goodbye to Berlin and Mr Norris Changes Trains are all I’ve read of him but I liked both! Goodbye to Berlin is, of course, the stories they based Cabaret on, so I went in knowing what they were about and really loved them. Until I had read them I thought of Isherwood as just “WH Auden’s friend” but it really turned me on to him, though I haven’t read anything since.
Can’t help you much sorry – have never read any Isherwood. I had imagined Mr Norris Changes Trains, would be a whimsical tale of some inept person, a bit like the guy in Diary of a Nobody. Sex clubs would never have occurred to me
Mr Norris Changes Trains and Goodbye to Berlin are often published together.
Mr Norris and Mr Pooter do have a certain resemblance, despite their rather differing tastes and lifestyles.
I read ‘The World in the Evening’ when I was 20 and several times in the 50 years since. Love it – a sensitive account of a relationship. I might read it again now. I wonder what my 21st century thoughts will be…
Valerie
That is so funny, to hear about your expectations for Mr Norris Changes Trains – I can absolutely see how that might arise! I have a lot of time for Isherwood, but then I love Berlin. He describes a certain time and place very well indeed. Prater Violet really resonated with me too.
I had a somewhat different experience to you with Mr Norris, possibly because I went in expecting something similar to Bob Fosse’s film, Cabaret — which is very much in line with the German sex club vibe you describe in your piece above!
A Single Man is a gorgeous novella, and I would definitely recommend you give it a shot. It’s very different to the Berlin novels in tone, and really beautifully written. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
I never read anything by him. I would have gone for Ibsen, Ilibagiza, Ionesco, Irving, maybe even Ishiguro, though I don’t care for him much.
But I might have to try Isherwood some time. Thanks.
The Berlin Novels are the best. I see you don’t have them! I’ve read them through twice but I’ve not read any of his other novels. Maybe I will now.
I’ve only read Goodbye to Berlin – I was vaguely underwhelmed at the time, but maybe would feel different now…
I loved Prater Violet and A Single Man. Christopher and His Kind is great, but if the sex clubs put you off, that might not be the best… I have all three volumes of his diaries on my TBR shelves, so certain am I that I’m going to love them–he knew everyone and casually mentions things like “Dinner with Marlene and George” (i.e. Dietrich and Cukor, though I just made up that specific example).
Recommend? Certainly “Mr Norris …” and certainly “Goodbye to Berlin”. I went to Berlin for the first time recently and I can certainly see me going again! Bob Fosse’s “Cabaret” I saw in a slightly sleazy cinema in Geneva on release in the company of two lovely female friends and was quite frankly blown away by it. Intrigued as to why you thought “Mr Norris …” would be a rural tail :-)
OOps! I meant “All That Jazz” :-)
Ooooh! I loved A Single Man, would recommend giving it a go. It’s a bit of a bummer, but beautiful, and short – I think I knocked it over in a single-sitting afternoon, if I recall correctly.
Oo excellent, thanks!
I’ve only read A Single Man and liked it. The film with Colin Firth as also very good.
Fab, thanks!