Tracing many of the same themes as that earlier work, this novel is a bemused, sometimes acid portrait of people caught in private sexual hells of their own making. I thought of it again while getting ready to travel to the South a few weeks ago. He was born near Manchester in the north of England in 1904, became a U.S. citizen in 1946, and died at home in Santa Monica, California in January 1986. Tags. Its four episodes are connected by four narrators. Loneliness, empathy, the human condition. "Down There on a Visit" is an engaging work that takes you into the lives of Gay/Bisexual men through their relationships with Christopher, the narrator, starting in 1933 and ending in 1953 – in the mist of European Politics, the Nazi terror, the War and Post-War era. I have never been a great fan of what I deem 'short stories'. In stock. An offbeat classic." Refresh and try again. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Aaron Paul leads an all-star cast in the Black Book audio drama. Just now I am identifying myself with him to such an extent that I’m really only experiencing this journey through his eyes. Down There on a Visit was a book full of ups and downs for me. 70: What do I care about? Some say it's his best, but I prefer The Berlin Stories. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Its four episodes are connected by four n. Christopher Isherwood originally intended Down There on a Visit to be part of The Lost, the unfinished epic novel that would also incorporate his famous Berlin Stories. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. But the point is, “Christopher Isherwood” has never disclosed the dark nights of the soul which shut out the light in the first place. -- Dorothy Parker, Esquire "This is probably Isherwood's best novel. ...We still share the same skeleton, but its outer covering has altered so much that I doubt he would recognize me on the street. The last section is the author at his best. Easy read. It seems just okay because the author character does not change or grow very much, even as his surroundings or his projects do. If it was left with the hope that someone would come and enjoy it then I say “thank you”; I appreciate the gift. On the minus side it didn't have the humour of his other works. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Down There on A Visit covers 1933 to 1953 or thereabouts, so it's the dread-filled years leading up to WWII, the war itself and then the postwar years. His tenderness for Waldemar shines through in the book, especially after they are separated by war and bureaucracy, and some of those passages feel like the most honest of the book. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Reprint edition (June 11, 2013). See search results for this author. Down There on a Visit (Paperback) Published March 1st 1999 by Univ Of Minnesota Press. In taking the structure that it does - four separate parts which each focalise on different character and effectively read like individual short stories - Down There on a Visit kind of feels like it offers something for everyone. User-contributed reviews. It was average writing. Author (s): Christopher Isherwood. I lack the insight to understand why some people choose to keep some of the things they do and throw away things like this. It's very autobiographical and really reads like a diary much of the time, but it's beautifully written, very perceptive about character (including the author's) and revelatory of the lives of gay men in those years. Parts of this book riff off his famous Berlin texts (though none of its four sections are actually set in Berlin), parts of it are more aligned with his late career turn towards self-reflexive fictional and autobiographical works exploring gay identity, and some of the most interesting parts of this novel for me explored Isherwood's involvement with Vedanta. Minor shelf and handling wear, overall a clean solid copy with minimal signs of … Of The Berlin Stories and Christopher and His Kind. One of these items ships sooner than the other. Be the first. I mistakenly pressed the one star button, but I was unable to change it. To reassure himself, he converts it into epic myth as fast as it happens. Down There On A Visit (the mundane title clicks into place in the final pages) is a series of four interconnected character studies, all narrated by “Christopher Isherwood”, from 1928 to 1940. A deeply intelligent and quietly compelling story.” ―Gerald Sykes, The New York Times“This is the best of Mr. Isherwood's novels.” ―Cyril Connolly, The Times (London), Down There on a Visit: A ... But it's a Christopher who "is almost a stranger to me. Alice Hoffman’s The Red Garden.Hoffman, who is the American mistress of magic realism, is a critically-acclaimed writer with millions of fans. has been added to your Cart. Down there on a Visit. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It is now widely regarded as … We took an Amtrak sleeper car both ways, and the overnight trip home was as crowded and uncomfortable as its predecessor. It's in many ways a fictional autobiography. Most appear and then die young or just disappear. Something went wrong. I wanted to give it a two stars. Helpful. While leading the way in presenting Gay Men in print, the book seems bound by the constraints of the times, as the lives of these gay men seem to be tragic and without meaningful futures. Charles Simic. Down There on a Visit by Christopher Isherwood, 1974, White Lion Publishers edition, in English Isherwood is an exciting, even-handed and witty friend you can live through vicariously. An insightful personal saga. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2013. I enjoyed this in-between-genres work, which tells of the years leading up to and after WWII through Isherwood's relationships with 4 main characters. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. Tracing many of the same themes as that earlier work, this novel is a bemused, sometimes acid portrait of people caught in private sexual hells of their own making. Down There on a Visit. 25 people found this helpful. Contemporary poets come out in bright The Ambrose and Paul sections are the most thoroughly developed, allowing the tragedies of these characters to resonate within the lar. All in all, what am saying is that it was not for me. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2015. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges, Or get 4-5 business-day shipping on this item for $5.99 The first two parts of this four part novel are simply wonderful. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2018. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. may be the best Christopher Isherwood has written . Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2005. But having read Christopher and His Kind it's rather fascinating to read this mor. The Greek Islands, 1932. I marked very little, and, frankly, I don’t think I understood much of what Isherwood was talking about. . Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929-1939 (FSG Classics), A Single Man: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics), A Meeting by the River: A Novel (FSG Classics), Lions and Shadows: An Education in the Twenties (FSG Classics), The Animals: Love Letters Between Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, The World in the Evening: A Novel (FSG Classics). As in The Berlin Stories, the character of Christopher in Down There on A Visit is frustratingly, sometimes annoyingly, passive--but always interesting and interested in the people around him. See all reviews from the United States. Welcome back. Christopher Isherwood was a novelist, playwright, screen-writer, autobiographer, and diarist. In 1966, it became the smash musical (and soon movie) "Cabaret" -- and, lo, gold rained down on Adelaide Drive in Santa Monica Canyon where Ish lived. "Down There on a Visit" is an engaging work that takes you into the lives of Gay/Bisexual men through their relationships with Christopher, the narrator, starting in 1933 and ending in 1953 – in the mist of European Politics, the Nazi terror, the War and Post-War era. The build up to WWII, as in his other more famous writing, is fantastic, and the characters - especially Waldermar - are empathetically but clearly drawn, as are their individual private hells. While leading the way in presenting Gay Men in print, the book seems bound by the constraints of the times, as the lives of these gay men seem to be tragic and without meaningful futures. Read more. It offers the sheer pleasure of writing completely personal and yet completely controlled, radiant with observation, never wasting a word, funny and sympathetic.” ―Stephen Spender, The New Republic“This excellent novel . Stated First Printing in original unclipped dust jacket. He is forever play-acting.”, “Most of the time, thank goodness, we suffer quite stupidly and unreflectingly, like the animals.”, Goodreads Members' Most Anticipated Spring Books. Down There on a Visit is outrageous, bitter, bleak, angry, wry, revealing, infuriating, and at times marvelously comic . Fortunately, I managed to read the whole of it. )According to a bookish newsletter in my email, The Red Garden is Hoffman’s favorite of her books. It was okay. Perhaps this was a wise move at that point in the twentieth century, but it's hard to reconcile this obfuscation with the proudly and openly gay man he presents himself as at other times. The story about living on a greek island was memorable. Love Isherwood, but this is one I missed when I went through his books 20 years ago. Please try again. And it really is a masterpiece. Then, for some reason unknown to me, I set it aside and only got back to it a month ago as I was heading to Berlin because, what else would one read there, right? Isherwood captures the essence of what I can only imagine 1940s teatime gossip atmospheres felt like. As always Christopher Isherwood provides real insight into the people he portrays. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I visited Gay's the word in London, and didn't feel like leaving without buying a book. The other stories I didn't relate to. $7.49. So humane, so candid, so poignant. Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2019. Add tags for "Down there on a visit". This lecture was included in the session titled, "Reconsidering Isherwood in the 1950s and ‘60s." Submit a letter: Email us letters@nybooks.com. The first story does have a quick turn and unexpected ending which was interesting. Part 3 is frankly boring. The innovative structure proves to be both a blessing and a curse. An offbeat classic. Down There on a Visit means to portray a man’s journey out into the light, or into at least some glimmer of it. The businessman, the utopian, the guru, the geisha?Published in 1962, Down There on a Visit is based on material from a proposed epic that would also have incorporated The Berlin Stories. Its four episodes are connected by … * Powells.com * Few writers have so unsparingly scrutinized their worlds. This is a difficult book to rate for me. Published in 1959, when Isherwood had already become something of a literary rock star, Down There on a Visit is a very funny but also sad and deeply personal book that charts Isherwood's life of carnal indulgence and his first interlude with what would become a serious involvement with Eastern mysticism. But what I am has refashioned itself through the days and years, until now almost all that remains is the mere awareness of being conscious. Parts of this book riff off his famous Berlin texts (though none of its four sections are actually set in Berlin), parts of it are more aligned with his late career turn towards self-reflexive fictional and autobiographical works exploring gay identity, and some of the most interesting parts of this novel for me explored Isherw. Down there on a visit. But really what's more fascinating is the story that he chooses to omit. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. (Here on Earth was a selection for the Oprah Book Club. Buy from. Pretty much unknown here, his name became familiar w the play "I Am a Camera" (1951), based on his Berlin Stories by van Druten. Hardcover. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2017, What a writer! 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