American style and spelling are used throughout this book. English spellings began to disappear from Isherwood’s diaries by the end of his first decade in California, although there are exceptions which I have altered in order to achieve consistency with the general trend. However, I have retained idiosyncrasies of phrasing and also spellings which have a phonetic impact in order that Isherwood’s characteristic Anglo-American voice might resound in the writing.
I have made some very minor alterations silently, including
standardizing passages which Isherwood quotes from elsewhere in his own writings, from other published authors, and from letters. Also, I have spelled out many abbreviations, including names for which Isherwood sometimes used only initials. Otherwise, square brackets usually mark emendations of substance or possible interest. Square brackets also mark information I have added to the text, such as surnames or parts of titles shortened by Isherwood, and editorial footnotes. And square brackets indicate where I have removed or Textual Note
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altered material in order to protect the privacy of certain individuals who are still living.
This book includes many footnotes written by Isherwood himself.
His practice in making the reconstructed diary was to write on the rectos only of his black ledger books, and to add information on the facing versos. He numbered almost all such additions as footnotes.
Had Isherwood himself prepared the diary for publication, he almost certainly would have incorporated all of his footnotes into the text, rewriting as necessary. I have not attempted to do this on his behalf, but have deliberately retained the rough, two-layered effect of the text he left, although I have sometimes moved his footnotes
(especially the long ones) to the end of the phrase, sentence or paragraph in which they appear, in order to help readers arrive at a suitable pause, where they might more easily shift their attention. All footnotes in brackets and footnote symbols in brackets are added by me, as mentioned above.
At the back of the book, readers will find a chronology of
Isherwood’s life and a glossary of people, places, institutions, and terms which he mentions. In contrast to his other diaries, kept contemporaneously with the events they describe, Isherwood generally introduces friends and acquaintances and explains episodes in detail in this reconstructed diary; therefore my notes and glossary only undertake to fill gaps. Many central figures require little or no mention at all in the glossary, and readers should use the index to find Isherwood’s own descriptions of them in his text. (Sometimes
Isherwood offers his own cross-reference when someone appears again after a long absence.) The glossary gives general biographical information and also offers details of particular relevance to Isherwood and to events or concerns he mentions in the text. A few very famous people––for instance, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin––
are not included in the glossary because although Isherwood knew them quite well, he knew them essentially in their capacity as celebrities. Others who were intimate friends––such as Aldous Huxley, Igor Stravinsky––are included even though their main
achievements will be familiar to many readers.
Hindu terminology is also explained in the glossary, although unfamiliar non-Hindu words appearing only once are usually glossed or translated in a footnote.
Acknowledgements
I could not have prepared this book without the constant support and collaboration of Don Bachardy. Isherwood’s luck in finding such a partner continues to grow more evident, and I feel privileged to share some of that luck.
Many friends of Isherwood have taken a great deal of trouble to answer questions for Don Bachardy and for me, and we are
extremely grateful for their tenacity and their forthrightness: George Bemberg, Walter Berns, Stefan Brecht, the late Paul Cadmus, the late Jim Charlton, Robert Craft, Jack Fontan, John Gruber, Michael Hall, Betty Harford, the late Evelyn Hooker, Richard Keate, Robert Kittredge, Gavin Lambert, Jack Larson, the late José Martinez, the late Ben Masselink, Carlos McClendon, the late Roddy McDowall, Ivan Moffat, Alvin Novak, Fern Maher O’Brien, “Vernon Old,”
Bernard Perlin, Rupert Pole, Ned Rorem, Paul Sorel, Walter
Starcke, Barry Taxman, Curtice Taylor, the late Frank Taylor, Edward Upward, Gore Vidal, Swami Vidyatmananda, Tom Wright,
Russ Zeininger.
A number of other people have helped with challenging and
sometimes eccentric queries as well as practical matters, and I thank them alclass="underline" Terry Adamson, Robert Adjemian, Peter Alexander, Alan Ansen, John Appleton, Roger Berthoud, Michael Bessie, Vernon
Brooks, Sally Brown (Curator of Modern Literary Manuscripts at the British Library), Peter Burton, Sheilah Cherney, Patricia Clark (The British Council), Gerald Clarke, Michael De Lisio, John D’Emilio, Renée Doolley, Philippa Foote, Christopher Gibb, Joyce Howard, Don Howarth, Nicholas Jenkins, Brian Keelan, Jim Kelly, Judy
Kopec ( Johns Hopkins University), Fredric Kroll, Tanya Kutchin-sky, the late Lyle Leverich, Glenn Lewis, Lloyd Lewis, John
Loughery, Jeffrey Meyers, Jean Morin (Directorate of History and Heritage, Ottawa, Canada), Karl Müller, Ed Parone, Susan Peck, Acknowledgements
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Stuart Proffitt, Andreas Reyneke, Dean Rocco, Jennifer Ruggiero, David Salmo, Suzelle Smith, Willie Walker, Robert Weil, George Wilson ( Johns Hopkins University).
For permission to quote part of a letter from Dodie Smith Beesley to Isherwood, I would like to thank Julian Barnes; for permission to quote from E. M. Forster’s letters to Isherwood, I would like to thank the Society of Authors as agent for the Provost and Scholars of King’s College, Cambridge; for permission to quote part of a letter from John Goodwin to Isherwood, I would like to thank Anthony Russo.
A project like this one is not easy without the continual and thoughtful involvement of editors, agents, and nowadays even
lawyers; I am grateful, for each of their efforts, to Helena Caldon, Roger Cazalet, Caroline Dawnay, Jim Fox, Daniel Halpern, Douglas Matthews, Anthea Morton-Saner, Harvey Starte, Stuart Williams and especially Howard Davies, Michael di Capua, Alison Samuel, and Geoffrey Strachan.
To friends who spent more time than they should have spent
chasing will-o’-the-wisp details, I am, as ever, very much in debt: Thomas Braun, Axel Neubohn, Peter Parker, Polly Maguire
Robison, Margaret Bradham Thornton. I came to depend especially on Christopher Phipps, who is as cheerful as he is meticulous; his resourcefulness has contributed many things to this book. Lucy Bucknell and Edward Mendelson have loyally helped me with small questions and big problems, and above all by reading––with
characteristic generosity and strictness––anything I asked them to.
At home I have had unconditional support from Jackie Edgar,
Vivian Galang, and Michelle Hatfield, and from a merry and inquisitive little gang who worked hard not to disturb me at my desk: Bob Maguire, Bobby Maguire, Lucy Maguire, Jack Maguire. I could not do without them.
Lost Years
January 1, 1945–May 9, 1951
August 26, 1971.
I am writing this to clarify my project to myself, not actually to begin work on it. Before I can do that I shall have to read through my day-to-day diaries for 1944 and 1945, to find out how much explanation is going to be needed before I can start the narrative itself.