Aldous Huxley Recollected: An Oral History

by David King Dunaway

Book Overview

Best-selling author Aldous Huxley's American years have been a period literary historians discounted. His reputation suffered after his exile to California, which he undertook partly for the sake of his failing sight, partly out of disappointment with the European peace movement, and partly in search of new spiritual direction. With his move to California, Huxley became part of Hollywood's Golden Age, working alongside such noted figures as Charlie...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761990658
• ISBN13: 9780761990659
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Altamira Press
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Aldous Huxley Recollected

Aldous Huxley had planned to write an autobiography. Sadly, he didn't feel up to the task after his papers were destroyed in a fire in 1961. Fortunately, David King Dunaway has attempted to fill this gap by creating an oral history of Aldous Huxley. He spent years tracking down and interviewing Aldous Huxley's friends and family. The persons interviewed included Julian Huxley (Aldous Huxley's brother), Matthew Huxley (Aldous Huxley's son), Laura Archera Huxley (Aldous Huxley's widow), his daughter-in-law, his grandchildren, his closest friends and colleagues, as well as some neighbors and acquaintances. The result is some 900 pages of transcripts now archived at the Huntington Library and this 224-page book. Overall, I found this book to be delightful reading. The recorded memories are very personal, yet also very informative and full of insights into Huxley's personality, his spiritual journey and his work. Although the interviews focus a little too much on Huxley's personal relationships, they are far less gossipy than one would expect - the contributors clearly loved and admired this remarkable man. When Huxley's weaknesses, flaws and eccentricities are discussed, it is always with compassion. These memories have a sincere and authentic ring to them. In this book, I learned that Huxley psychologically blocked all memories of his mother who died when he was fourteen, and that he lost his eyesight at age sixteen. At age 22 he married a 17 year-old girl, Maria Nys, whose love, attention and altruism shaped his life and work for the next 35 years. After reading the recorded recollections of Huxley's relatives and in-laws, it was clear that Maria consciously worked to create a safe, nurturing environment for Huxley in order to foster his development as an author; that she tried to insulate him from day-to-day stresses, anxieties and distractions. When recollecting Huxley after his marriage to his second wife, Laura, some of the interviews take on a harsh tone. Several of Huxley's close friends spoke of their dislike and distrust of the second Mrs. Huxley. One acquaintance admittedly withdrew from Huxley as a result of the antipathy. Laura Huxley's memories, in turn, become defensive. Upon reflection, I concluded that this portion of the book is, most likely, unfair to Laura Huxley, even if the harsh, unflattering statements are true. The book is marred by the sniping tone of this section -- otherwise this book would be a five-star work of biography and scholarship. Nonetheless, it is interesting (and revealing) to contrast Laura Huxley's statements in this book with her account of her marriage in her memoir, This Timeless Moment(another interesting and worthwhile book about Huxley). The final chapter is devoted to interviews of approximately two dozen Huxley scholars around the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the life and work of Aldous Huxley.