When his father died, J. R. Ackerley was shocked to
discover that he had led a secret life. And after Ackerley himself died,
he left a surprise of his own—this coolly considered, unsparingly
honest account of his quest to find out the whole truth about the man
who had always eluded him in life. But Ackerley's pursuit of his father
is also an exploration of the self, making My Father and Myself a
pioneering record, at once sexually explicit and emotionally charged,
of life as a gay man. This witty, sorrowful, and beautiful book is a
classic of twentieth-century memoir.
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Review
"I would like to give J.R. Ackerley's My Father and Myself to the
entire Tory Shadow Cabinet… It shows how tissue-thin the narrative of
power and 'respectable' class-consciousness always has been. The likes
of David Cameron should read this book and think again if they believe
hegemony to be part of their birthright." Will Self. (Times )
About the Author
J. R. Ackerley (1896-1967) was for many years the literary editor of the BBC magazine The Listener. His works include three memoirs, Hindoo Holiday, My Dog Tulip, and My Father and Myself, and a novel, We Think the World of You (all available as New York Review Books).
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) was born in North Yorkshire, England, the son of a doctor. He studied at Oxford and published his first book, Poems, in 1930, immediately establishing himself as one of the outstanding voices of his generation. Auden emigrated to New York in 1939, where he became a US citizen and converted to Anglicanism. He wrote essays, critical studies, plays, and opera librettos for such composers as Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Hans Werner Henze, as well as the poems for which he is most famous.
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) was born in North Yorkshire, England, the son of a doctor. He studied at Oxford and published his first book, Poems, in 1930, immediately establishing himself as one of the outstanding voices of his generation. Auden emigrated to New York in 1939, where he became a US citizen and converted to Anglicanism. He wrote essays, critical studies, plays, and opera librettos for such composers as Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Hans Werner Henze, as well as the poems for which he is most famous.
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First Sentence
THE APPARENTLY HAPHAZARD chronology of this memoir may need excuse. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE APPARENTLY HAPHAZARD chronology of this memoir may need excuse. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on the back of a recommendation by Will Self in the
Times. Given Self's quirky and quite often provocative nature, I
thought this might be quite good - and I wasn't disappointed. A book
which starts with the line "I was born in 1896 and my parents were
married in 1919" points very quickly to the fact that there are going to
be some unusual skeletons in this particular cupboard.
It is , as the title suggests, mainly an account of the strange relationship between father and son, which on the surface would have seemed quite conventional, especially in the early 20th Century, in which it took place, but which in reality was nothing but conventional. Joe Ackerley (the son) kept his own active homosexual nature a secret from his father whilst he only discovered after his father's death that the latter had a second family hidden away in another part of England. His father, who had seemed an upright leading businessman turned out to have been something else entirely, and in the end the son wondered how similar they had in fact possibly been in their youths.
Although mainly about father and son, there are other revelations such as Joe having been in the position where he had to decide whether he should risk the lives of some of his troops in the Western Front trenches to go and rescue his wounded brother who was either wounded or dead in no-mans-land. He turned to a senior officer for a decision but was told it was up to him. It's hard to comprehend having to make that choice - if you read the book, you'll find out what he decided.
Overall, its a well written account and at times very evocative of the period it covers. If there's a drawback to this book, it's that the revelations climax about two thirds of the way through, and as you read on to the end, you are disappointed that there are no more nuggets to be brought out in to the light of day.
It is , as the title suggests, mainly an account of the strange relationship between father and son, which on the surface would have seemed quite conventional, especially in the early 20th Century, in which it took place, but which in reality was nothing but conventional. Joe Ackerley (the son) kept his own active homosexual nature a secret from his father whilst he only discovered after his father's death that the latter had a second family hidden away in another part of England. His father, who had seemed an upright leading businessman turned out to have been something else entirely, and in the end the son wondered how similar they had in fact possibly been in their youths.
Although mainly about father and son, there are other revelations such as Joe having been in the position where he had to decide whether he should risk the lives of some of his troops in the Western Front trenches to go and rescue his wounded brother who was either wounded or dead in no-mans-land. He turned to a senior officer for a decision but was told it was up to him. It's hard to comprehend having to make that choice - if you read the book, you'll find out what he decided.
Overall, its a well written account and at times very evocative of the period it covers. If there's a drawback to this book, it's that the revelations climax about two thirds of the way through, and as you read on to the end, you are disappointed that there are no more nuggets to be brought out in to the light of day.
By SergiusT
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even if you know nothing of the man and his work this book is well
worth a read for an insight into the life of a gay man in the beginning
of the 20th century which breaks the mould of men in similar
situations.It is also a very frank exposition of his relationship - or
lack of it - with his father who comes across, despite his son's
prejudices as a very 21st century man. Fundamentally they had little
middle ground on which to establish any other sort of relationship
except based on blood. Plenty in that bracket.
By rob crawford
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written autobiography of a man, which broke new
literary ground. He openly wrote of his life as a gay man when it was
illegal in GB, his search for love, and ultimately how he felt cut off
from life. Each page aches with sadness, confusion, and need, never able
to find what he wants from a human being, though he did later with his
dog, Tulip, about which he wrote a classic book of requited love. There
are quite unforgettable images thoughout the book, such as chance sexual
encounters on a train ride with his mysterious father or the courtesies
paid to him by his many lovers, such as a man with such bad smelling
feet that he left his shoes on in bed. While there is a great deal of
ironic humor in the book, its overall tone is one of loss, feeling lost
in life and unloved in his many failed attempts to find a lasting
partner. He also explores the mystery of his father, who hung out as a
youth with a gay man he later knew as his landlord, and whom he never
really knew or understood. It is a very moving book about an alien
milieu and time, of a man hemmed in by inhibition and unfulfilled need.
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