Book #4 Goodbye To Berlin

Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A mention by Rick Stein about 'Goodbye to Berlin' on his Weekend In Berlin TV programme was enough to make me take a look. The Art Deco cover was enough. Here we read about Sally Bowles, probably better known as the lead character in the stage production, musical and film 'Cabaret'. The book was first published in 1939 and I am sure is at least semi-autobiographical, although Isherwood would indicate otherwise. The book contains six pieces that overlap so far as certain characters and situations are concerned. It recounts the story of the author's stay in Berlin where he gave English lessons during the period 1930 - 1933. Eloquent prose tells of Hitler's rise to power, the overt hatred of Jews, the glamour and sleaze that pervaded Berlin society, a tale of menace and a society in decay.

Christopher Isherwood was born in Cheshire in 1904 and died on the 4th January 1986. I enjoyed Goodbye to Berlin, full of anecdotes and written so well.



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