Lions and Shadows

by Christopher Isherwood

Book Overview

Lions and Shadows blends autobiography and fiction to describe the true education of a writer evolving from precocious schoolboy to dropoutatlarge in London's bohemia of the 1920s. Forced to withdraw from Cambridge University, "Christopher Isherwood" works as a tutor to the privileged, serves as the secretary to a busy string quartet, ill-fatedly attends medical school. Licensed by names he invents, he works up extravagant portraits of his brilliant contemporaries W. H. Auden, Edward Upward, and Stephen Spender, whose intimate friendships and cult of rebellion changed the literary identity of England in the 1930s. Although the story is Isherwood's own life story, carrying him up to the age of twenty-five, he gives free rein to his remarkable powers of dramatization, improving on the facts here and there, to make a highly entertaining, sometimes hilarious book. "Read it as a novel," says Isherwood. There is no difficulty taking his advice. But his characters were real people, and when Lions and Shadows was first published, in 1938, it transformed their lives into legend.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374535302
• ISBN13: 9780374535308
• Release Date: November 2015
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

THE Isherwood book

Largely autobiographical,Isherwood covers his life from prep school to Cambridge and a brief,ill advised stint in medical school and brings to life the characters that illuminated him (thinly disguised Auden and Spender amongst others) on his journey to self awareness and becoming a writer. This book is so good. The narrative is rich and never bores and Isherwood wonderfully evokes the atmosphere of post WW1 England;the fleeting mentions of Hitler,Mussolini and the 1926 general strike all add to the narrative,and the wittisisms and anecdotes are superlative. Odds on you'll be refering to the 'watcher in Spanish' 'Poshocrats' and the 'Poshocracy' ever after! The copy I bought had a crass 1970's illustration and stencil lettering on the cover.If ever a book so completely proves the old adage re not judging a book,this is it. Arguably better than even his 'Berlin' novels.A definate five star book.

Classic Isherwood. I enjoyed it tremendously

This is sort of a novelization of Isherwood's years as a student and the between the wars era in England. I find that era fascinating and this book is filled with details about how life was lived back then. The book is very readable. Isherwood has a distinct, clear writing style that I love. He makes everything interesting. If you liked Berlin Stories I'd expect you'll like this as well. (That's how I came to this book). Highly recommended.