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Memorial Paperback – March 1, 1999

by Christopher Isherwood (Author)

4.4 25 ratings

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With The Memorial, Christopher Isherwood began his lifelong work of rewriting his own experiences into witty yet almost forensic portraits of modern society. Set in the aftermath of World War I, The Memorial portrays the dissolution of a tradition-bound English family. Cambridge student Eric Vernon finds himself torn between his desire to emulate his heroic father, who led a life of quiet sacrifice before dying in the war, and his envy for his father's great friend Edward Blake, who survived the war only to throw himself into gay life in Berlin and the pursuit of meaningless relationships.

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1st University of Minnesota Press ed edition (March 1, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 081663369X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0816633692
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #9,070,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10,310 in Men's Adventure Fiction (Books)
- #287,086 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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Christopher Isherwood

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Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986) was one of the most prominent writers of his generation. He is the author of many works of fiction, including All the Conspirators, The Memorial, Mr. Norris Changes Trains, and Goodbye to Berlin, on which the musical Cabaret was based, as well as works of nonfiction and biography.

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B. Morse

Not all that memorable....

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2004

This is admittedly only the second Isherwood novel I have read...and the first half sets up what I thought was going to be a really good finish...but I was a bit disappointed.

Regarding the various relationships of several members of a family, and a few outsiders, there is really one one thread that comes through as a focal point or 'main' story, and that is of the relationship between the character of 'Eric' and his cousin 'Maurice', as well as the involvement of Maurice and Edward, an older man in the habit of making life more cushy for Maurice, much to Eric's disdain.

Citing moral corruption and the decline of character of his cousin, Eric strives to barr Edward from continuing his support of Maurice with an appeal to the man's better judgement.

Again, this book has a lot of potential, but it just didn't move me the way The World in the Evening did. I give it four stars for Isherwood's writing style, but cannot give an additional mark for content.

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Steve

Moments of genius in a flawed early work.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2013

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This early Isherwood novel is less of a story than a series of scenes from the years between the two world wars. Stylistically, it is somewhat self-consciously clever and the cast of characters takes some untangling. But it has some brilliant scenes and evocations, especially Lily, the war widow, whose life and loss are forensically dissected but with occasional moments of real poignancy. As it had to for its period, the book skates round the sexuality of two of its principal male characters. So, as a book it is unsatisfying but it lifts the curtain on Isherwood's genius at a formative stage.