In his journals, ackerley recorded the maharajahs fantastically eccentric habits and riddling conversations, and the odd shambling daytoday life of his court. The book is already available as an nyrb classic, and i thought ackerley s novel we think the world of you a little gem, so for all these reliable reasons my expectations were high. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The misspelling was down to the publisher, who felt that it gave the book another charm. Hindoo holiday is an account of the time that the author, jr ackerley, spent in india working as a secretary to the maharajah of chhatapur jokingly changed to chhokrapur, apparently meaning city of the boys, for this book. Knowing almost nothing of india, he discovers hindu culture, festivals and language, and reveals the fascinating attitudes of the palace staff on women, marriage. From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia hindoo holiday is a comic memoir by the english author j. Eliot weinberger is the author of three collections of essays. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Hindoo holiday is an intimate and very funny account of an exceedingly strange place, and one. Published by chatto and windus in 1932, it is written in the form of and based on a. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Mar 26, 2009 in his journals, ackerley recorded the maharajahs fantastically eccentric habits and riddling conversations, and the odd shambling daytoday life of his court. An indian journal my dog tulip my father and myself we think the world of you about this book in the 1920s, the young j. Novelists pick books to inspire, uplift, and offer escape. The self, and the mysteries of its attachments, viewed from a single and subjective center, were always his subject. Published by chatto and windus in 1932, it is written in the form of and based on a journal which ackerley kept during his fivemonth engagement as secretary to vishvanath singh, maharajah of chhatarpur between december 1923 and may 1924. Of its authors other four books, christopher isherwood observed that each in its different way is a masterpiece. Feb 07, 2011 today, however, ackerley is remembered primarily as a memoirist and a bombardier. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
Ackerley spent several months in india as the personal secretary to the maharajah of a small indian principality. Ackerley makes no pretense that this is anything more than a holiday. Please note we are accepting orders but please expect delays due to the impact of covid19 on logistcs and procurement. Ackerley spent several months in india as the personal secretary to the maharajah of a sma. Written in the form of diary entries, hindoo holiday records the period of time that a young joe ackerley spent as private secretary to the maharaja of chhatarpur renamed in the book. In 1928 ackerley joined the talks department of the bbc as an assistant producer. In his journals, ackerley recorded the maharajahs fant. Hindoo holiday is an intimate and very funny account of an exceedingly strange place, and one of the masterpieces of twentiethcentury travel literature. Hindoo holiday is a comic memoir by the english author j. R weinberger, eliot int, isbn 0940322250, isbn 9780940322257, brand new, free shipping in the us in the 1920s, the young j. Ackerley, william dalrymple from waterstones today. Hindoo vacation is an intimate and extremely humorous account of an exceptionally unusual position, and one of many masterpieces of twentiethcentury go back and forth literature. My dog tulip 1956, an account of living with his dog queenie. Ackerleys third book, following a youthful collection of poems and a play about world war i in which he served in the.
This essay appears in different form as the book s introduction. His debut novel, murder in mumbai, is being published in july. Two really weird, hilarious british memoirs by jr ackerley. Outside stories, works on paper, and karmic traces. Hindoo holiday, while it does contain ackerley s familiar lowkey selfdeprecating brand of humor, does not measure up to his other three books. There would be just a few others, and each in its different way is a masterpiece, according to christopher isherwood. Hindoo holiday, my dog tulip, and my father and myself, and a novel, we think the.
A journal of ackerleys stay in the indian province of chhatarpur during the 1920s, hindoo holiday records and mocks the muddled morality and intellectual immaturity of both slothful indian rulers and equally pampered british colonialists. Ackerley spent several months in india as the personal secretary to the maharajah of a. Available in used condition with free delivery in the uk. Her companionship enabled him to give up seeking casual sex. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. Eliot weinberger is the author of two collections of essays, outside stories and works on paper, and the editor and. Publication date 1932 topics salar collection digitallibraryindia. The maharajah is an eccentric old man who enjoys riddling conversations and the company of boy actors. Hindoo holiday is an intimate and very funny account of an exceedingl. Apr 05, 2020 i thought jr ackerley s hindoo holiday was the most enjoyable book id ever read when i discovered it belatedly 10 years ago, and it seems to me even better now. Ackerley was born in herne hill, kent, in 1896 and educated at rossall school and magdalene college, cambridge. Ackerley s time in india in the 1920s, the young j. Almost every morning now, and sometimes in the late afternoon, narayan, the young guest house clerk, comes in to see me.
Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Ackerley spent several months in india as the private secretary to the maharajah of chhokrapur. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. And in fact he is often a little fuzzy or simply wrong on indian details. 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 more about j.
Ackerley s hindoo holiday is like a perfect summer dessert. The five months ackerley spent in india provided him with material for his travel book, hindoo holiday, which had to undergo several revisions in order to avoid risk of prosecution for both obscenity and libel before being published in 1932. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Ackerleys hindoo holiday, written in the 1930s and now reissued, is a. An indian journal penguin modern classics by ackerley, j. Ackerley 18961967 was for many years the literary editor of the bbc magazine the listener. Ackerley s hindoo holiday 1932, which, like naples 44, is a travel memoir in diary form. Ackerley wrote two brilliant and original novels, hindoo holiday and we think the world of you, and two almost equally brilliant memoirs, my dog tulip and my father and myself. In his journals, ackerley recorded the maharajahs superbly eccentric behavior and riddling conversations, and the bizarre shambling daily lifetime of his courtroom. Hindoo holiday 1932, revised and expanded 1952, a memoir of ackerleys brief engagement as secretary to an indian maharaja in the city of chhatarpur, which he calls chhokrapur meaning city of boys in the book. A highly entertaining and moving journal chronicling j. Jr ackerley makes no pretense whatsoever about knowing much about hindu culture, india, or the men and women hes profiling in this novel.
His rather depressing diaries were posthumously published with the title my sister and myself. It is essentially an edited journal of the several months he spent as a socalled secretary to the maharajah of a small kingdom in india in the 1920s. The position was arranged by e m forster who knew the maharaja from when he was in india writing passage to india. Sep 16, 2017 hindoo holiday 45 some more things to know about this. Ackerley s photograph, then impressed by his poems, offered him lifetime employment leading to a cabinet post, dismissed the whole thing as impossible, and. Back in england, ackerley slowly transformed his indian diaries into hindoo holiday, which appeared in 1932. Apr 28, 2009 a highly entertaining and moving journal chronicling j.
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