Dis-locations and Re-locations: Christopher Isherwood and the Search for the “Home Self”

Abstract

British expatriate writer Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) spent more than half his life in California. In addition to his work with the Hollywood movie studios he continued to publish novels, travel writing and four autobiographies, the last of which, My Guru and His Disciple, was published in 1980. Given the notoriety that had accrued following the publication of his earlier, “out” autobiography, Christopher and His Kind (1976), following which he was fêted as a literary standard bearer for the Gay Liberation movement, for him to provide testimony of his religious life was in direct contravention of the prevailing discourses that would cast unapologetically “queer” men as pariahs from religious communities, at least in those groups adhering to the Abrahamic lineages.

The marginalisation extended into other fields, too, including psychological medicine, which interpreted sexual orientations beyond the standard binary model as pathological, examples of failure along the normatively-defined pathway of “healthy” psycho-sexual development. Worse, in this late testimonio, he was acknowledging training in an alien, Vedanta tradition which positioned him well beyond the conventional fold of the Anglican, Christian religion of his upbringing.

Isherwood found his way “home” through the sincere study of the teachings of the non-dual Advaita Vedanta under the guidance of his guru – Swami Prabhavananda, of the Ramakrishna Order of monks – who presided over a temple in Hollywood, California.

This article investigates how his Vedanta study, sustained over forty years, enabled Isherwood to realise a deep connection to a “home” that had less to do with geography, culture, or family ties than with a deep, internal re-orientation that shifts the notion of a personal self into a re-alignment with the unified field of consciousness that underpins all life forms.

Opsomming

 Die Britse uitgeweke skrywer Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) het langer as die helfte van sy lewe in Kalifornië deurgebring. Benewens sy werk met die Hollywood-rolprentateljees het hy steeds romans, reismateriaal en vier outobiografieë gepubliseer. Die laaste outobiografie, My Guru and His Disciple, is in 1980 gepubliseer. Gegewe die berugtheid wat hy verwerf het ná die publikasie van sy vroeëre, “bieg”-outobiografie, Christopher and His Kind (1976), waarna hy bestempel is as ’n literêre vaandeldraer vir die Gay-bevrydingsbeweging, was hierdie getuienis van sy godsdienstige lewe lynreg teen die heersende diskoerse wat onberouvolle homoseksuele mans as verstotelinge uit godsdiensgemeenskappe gewerp het, ten minste in daardie groepe wat Abraham se stamboom aangehang het.  

Die marginalisering het na ander terreine oorgespoel, insluitend sielkundige geneeskunde, wat seksuele oriënterings wat afgewyk het van die standaard-binêre model, bestempel het as patologies en as voorbeelde van mislukkings langs die normatief gedefinieerde baan van “gesonde” psigoseksuele ontwikkeling. Erger nog, in sy laaste “testimonio” het hy erken dat hy opleiding ontvang het in ’n volksvreemde Vedanta-tradisie wat hom onteenseglik buite die konvensionele terrein van die Anglikaanse, Christelike godsdiens van sy grootwordjare geposisioneer het.

Isherwood het sy weg “huis toe” gevind deur die opregte studie van die leringe van die niedualistiese Advaita Vedanta onder die leiding van sy ghoeroe – Swami Prabhavananda, van die Ramakrisjna-monnikeorde – wat ’n tempel in Hollywood, Kalifornië, bestuur het.

Hierdie artikel ondersoek hoe sy studie van Vedanta, wat veertig jaar geduur het, Isherwood in staat gestel het om ’n diepe verbintenis te bewerkstellig met ’n “tuiste” wat minder te doen het met geografie, kultuur of familiebande as met ’n diepe, interne heroriëntering wat die idee van ’n persoonlike self verskuif na ’n herbelyning met die verenigde terrein van bewussyn wat aan alle lewensvorme ten grondslag lê.