Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (PDF)

Description

Isherwood’s classic story of Berlin in the 1930s – and the inspiration for Cabaret – now in a stand-alone edition.First published in 1934, Goodbye to Berlin has been popularized on stage and screen by Julie Harris in I Am a Camera and Liza Minelli in Cabaret. Isherwood magnificently captures 1931 Berlin: charming, with its avenues and cafés; marvelously grotesque, with its nightlife and dreamers; dangerous, with its vice and intrigue; powerful and seedy, with its mobs and millionaires — this was the period when Hitler was beginning his move to power. Goodbye to Berlin is inhabited by a wealth of characters: the unforgettable and “divinely decadent”Sally Bowles; plump Fraulein Schroeder, who considers reducing her Buste relieve her heart palpitations; Peter and Otto, a gay couple struggling to come to terms with their relationship; and the distinguished and doomed Jewish family, the Landauers.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This is a series of excellent stories that are about Berlin between World War I and World War II. The author is Christopher Isherwood, an Anglo American. As I understand it the stories are semi autobiographical. The stories mix the political descent into Nazism with the decadent underbelly of Berlin Society. I found the stories fascinating and very well written. Apparently they were the inspiration for “Cabaret” which I have not as of yet seen. I also listened to an abridged version of these stories narrated by Michael York. They were also excellent but, I emphasize, abridged. Thank You.

⭐I bought this book as preparation for a role in “Cabaret” at our community theatre. The story is fascinating and the writing is beautiful.

⭐I dare you to read this book without picturing Liza Minelli. The chapter on Sally Bowles clearly demonstrated how well the actor studied her part. You may tire of the word “marvellous” but it’s part of her charm. On the other hand, there are many inklings of the oncoming National Socialism and antisemitism that give the book a haunting look into what was soon to come to Germany. Isherwood has a splendid knack for describing characters both through physical description and unique voices. He is a master observer of those he encountered without covering up their flaws and quirks.

⭐This is a semi-autobiographical book by author Christopher Isherwood of his time spent in and around Berlin in the 1930s. He writes as a Hemingway type expat about various people he meets, places he stays, and his impressions of early Nazi Germany. The chapter titled Sally Bowles is the basis for the movie Cabaret (and an earlier British film, I Am A Camera), and the colorful story vividly brings Liza Minnelli’s Sally to life as she portrayed her perfectly on film. The book is told in rambling style as the author moves along from place to place & person to person, a few characters recurring but many new encounters on his way through Berlin’s increasingly pro-Nazi café society.

⭐Clever. Clean. Concise.

⭐Christopher Isherwood travelled extensively in his youth and most importantly he was in pre-Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. You get a first hand look at how the Nazi Party slowly engulphed all Germans in their collective madness; eugenics, ethnic cleansing, nationalism and isolationism. Frightening and compelling at the same time. Important reading for the 21st century political landscape!

⭐The only mildly engaging parts were the one where he lives with the Nowaks and the final few pages about the rise of the Nazis to power in Berlin. But I guess being engaging is not what this book is about. It’s about being disengaged and floating through life in a big city, even in turbulent times. As the author admits in the Author’s Note, this material is just a collection of scraps from a larger work he abandoned.I’d put off reading this material for years because of all the mixed reviews. The “Christopher and His Kind” movie inspired me to read this.The introduction by the actor, Allan Cumming, is ridiculously over-the-top and gushing. Shameless hype. The publisher should be ashamed of themselves.One can’t help but wonder that there must be better books by people that lived through those times and in that place, Berlin. But they’re probably all very serious and politically committed. So I guess Isherwood does provide a unique vantage point since he just casually floats through it all.

⭐Although this is a fairly slim volume, it nevertheless is an early work from one of the better English writers of the 20th Century. Beautifully written, it tells of his life in Berlin prior to the second world war, and at a time when he was always short of money. He then earned his living teaching English to Berliners. The book touches on the rise of Hitler’s Nazi party and the abominable treatment of the Jews by the German people. Isherwood’s command of language is only partly the reason why I recommend this fascinating book of experiences to lovers of quality writing, it is also an interesting slice of life from a time when human behaviour was at its worst. The book incidentally, formed the basis of the Broadway show ‘Cabaret’ which was later turned into a film.

⭐Although I didn’t receive what I ordered , I would like to remove my previous rating for poor.I must have had an aberration because generally I support small independent businesses. I apologise wholeheartedly.Please support this book company, they sound amazing.Thanks.

⭐Not started yet, but looking forward to reading the source book for several stage adaptations. I saw the musical version “Cabaret” recently, had also seen the film with Liza Minelli and the play “I am a Camera”. All memorable in their own ways.

⭐Thoroughly enjoyed the book. It exceeded my expectations. The first time, in a long time, that I found difficulty in putting the book down.

⭐El libro en el que se inspiró el musical Cabaret, fantástico sobre todo para amantes del musical, fácil de leerAn excellent and overlooked 20th century author. Isherwood’s fluid prose draws the reader into seedy 1930’s Berlin. This inspirational source eclipses Cabaret, both the movie and the play.

Keywords

Free Download Goodbye to Berlin in PDF format
Goodbye to Berlin PDF Free Download
Download Goodbye to Berlin 2012 PDF Free
Goodbye to Berlin 2012 PDF Free Download
Download Goodbye to Berlin PDF
Free Download Ebook Goodbye to Berlin