From his arrival in California in 1939 through the mid-1950s, Christopher Isherwood records his transition from European novelist to Hollywood screenwriter and Vedantist disciple. Edited by Katherine Bucknell, these entries document his daily discipline of meditation under Swami Prabhavananda alongside his professional work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He details his complex domestic life with Don Bachardy, his pacifist stance during World War II, and his interactions with intellectual circles including Aldous Huxley and Igor Stravinsky. The text tracks his struggle to reconcile carnal desires with spiritual aspirations.
Readers of mid-century literary history and queer biography use this volume to examine the intersection of gay identity and religious mysticism. It serves as a primary source for understanding the development of the Vedanta movement in the United States and the social structures of the Hollywood elite. A reader gains a factual account of the writer’s creative process and a transparent look at the contradictions inherent in maintaining a spiritual practice while participating in the commercial film industry.
Inward-looking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1996
- Language
- EN
