Christopher Isherwood

James Berg (College of the Desert)
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Christopher Isherwood’s life and writing are often seen in two conveniently defined halves: one English, the other American. The early, English part of Isherwood’s

oeuvre

forms the basis for conventional appraisals of his work. The novel

Goodbye to Berlin

(1939), a loose collection of stories and sketches, provided the source material for

Cabaret

, the musical play (1966) and film (1972). The later, American, half is gaining recognition for its groundbreaking openness in the treatment of homosexuality. The novel

A Single Man

(1964) is seen by many, especially in the United States, as a masterpiece of characterization, style and precision. As with all convenient categorizations, the story is more complicated than this; however, this method of looking at Isherwood’s career is useful…

2170 words

Citation: Berg, James . "Christopher Isherwood". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2317, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2317 Christopher Isherwood 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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