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Christopher Isherwood

A fresh and approachable critical biography of the twentieth-century Anglo-American writer.
 
Christopher Isherwood wrote modernist novels before he evolved into a pioneer of autofiction; his novel Goodbye to Berlin inspired the hit musical Cabaret. Everything changed when Isherwood emigrated to America in 1939. His newfound pacifism and studies as a Hindu monk led to new kinds of novels, including A Single Man, that reflected his evolving spiritual interests and blazed a trail for the gay liberation movement. In this new biography, Jake Poller takes a holistic approach to Isherwood, exploring his life and writing as well as the impact of Vedanta philosophy on Isherwood’s work. This book offers a concise yet thorough account of a monumental figure.

208 pages | 22 halftones | 5.12 x 7.87 | © 2025

Critical Lives

Biography and Letters


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