Book Review: Christopher and His Kind 1929–1939 by Christopher Isherwood

Key Takeaways

• Isherwood lived in Berlin’s queer scene from 1929‑1933
• He fled Nazi Germany with boyfriend Heinz after Hirschfeld Institute raid
• Friendship with W.H. Auden led to joint war reporting in China
• Memoir mixes third‑person self‑portrait with reflective first‑person commentary
• Published 1976, it marked Isherwood’s first public coming‑out

Pulse Analysis

Christopher Isherwood’s *Christopher and His Kind* stands out as a pivotal memoir that bridges literary fiction and personal testimony. While most readers know Isherwood through *Goodbye to Berlin* and its adaptations, the 1976 memoir uncovers the lived reality behind those stories, revealing how his early years in Berlin informed his later novels and screenplays. By narrating his younger self in the third person and interjecting present‑day reflections, Isherwood creates a layered narrative that invites scholars to reassess the interplay between autobiography and artistic invention in modernist literature.

The memoir also serves as a valuable historical document of LGBTQ life in interwar Europe. Isherwood’s proximity to Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science gave him front‑row access to a vibrant, though precarious, queer community. His eyewitness account of the 1933 Nazi raid, which burned the Institute’s archives, provides a stark reminder of how state‑sanctioned homophobia and transphobia pre‑dated the post‑war gay rights movement. These details enrich contemporary understandings of how early 20th‑century queer networks operated under threat, offering context for today’s discussions about preserving LGBTQ heritage.

Beyond its historical relevance, the memoir illuminates Isherwood’s influence on mid‑century literary circles. His collaborations with W.H. Auden, including the little‑remembered play *The Ascent of F6* and their joint reportage from China, showcase a transatlantic network of writers who shaped cultural narratives around war, exile, and identity. Modern readers and scholars can trace threads from Isherwood’s candid self‑examination to today’s memoirs that foreground queer experiences, underscoring his role as a forerunner in openly discussing sexuality in mainstream literature. The book’s publication in the 1970s, coinciding with California’s decriminalization of homosexuality, further cemented its impact as a milestone in LGBTQ literary visibility.