Whether it be for Isherwood’s almost revered literary regard or perhaps for more Liza Minelli shaped reasons, Mr Norris Changes Trains & Goodbye to Berlin have carved themselves their own niche in mainstream culture. Either, I suppose, are acceptable routes to popular longevity, but whatever you may think you know about these books, forget it. Isherwood’s semi-autobiographical tales of early 30s Berlin are a subtle and deeply personal portrait of an era of sexual and cultural freedom that was already descending into ruin; sad, funny, ultimately tinged with the inevitability of history, but warm and joyous. A deserved must read.
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