Christopher Isherwood and WH Auden and have combined their exceptional literary talents to present a fascinating travelers account of war-torn China in 1938. It is an unusual combination of one part travel narrative, one part picture commentary, and one part poetry (Isherwood writing the narrative an Auden the poetry). The two are constantly seeking to overcome obstacles to get to the front lines of the fighting between the Chinese and the Japanese — the obstacles come in many forms — some of them are bureaucratic and some of them are mechanical and some are Japanese bombers. They meet with a variety of characters Chinese bureaucrats and officers including General Chiang Kai-shek and his wife,Chou Enlai, White Russians, American Missionaries, German military advisors, and fellow Englishman Peter Fleming (a well known traveler of China and brother of Ian Fleming author of the James Bond books). The writing is extraordinarily good and a window into another era and way of thinking. Isherwood reports the good the bad and the ugly in a very understated British way. I highly recommend this book especially for those who have an interest in travel and history. ( )

I bought this book, after seeing it mentioned on LT, because I was taken by the idea of Auden (one of my favorite poets) and Isherwood as war correspondents. In 1938, they were commissioned by British and US publishers to travel to China, which had been invaded by Japan the previous year, and to report on what they saw. The book is written in prose by Isherwood, apparently based on both of their diaries, and the prose is preceded and followed by poetry by Auden (largely sonnets, and one long, "preachy" (Auden's word) "Commentary").

Everywhere they went (and I gave up searching on Google for the locations of the cities and towns they visited -- a map would have been a huge plus for this book), they were greeted as honored guests, even when in several cases the Chinese people they met tried every means, utterly politely, of dissuading them from visiting the front. They met Agnes Smedley and even the Generalissimo (Chiang Kai-Shek) and Madame Chiang, and multitudes of other local leaders, missionaries and religious leaders, military leaders, train workers, hotel owners, "coolies" (such was the language of the time) who pulled rickshaws and carried packages and luggage and even people, interpreters, and many others, both British and Chinese. They describe towns devastated by the Japanese invasion, breathtakingly beautiful scenery, charming hotels and not so charming ones, train trips delayed by Japanese bombing, the way the Chinese welcomed them so wholeheartedly but seemed unprepared for the war, their unsuccessful efforts to visit the Communist Eighth Route Army (the Communists were collaborating in the defense of China at the time), propaganda and army songs, Chinese opera, food and drink (lots of drink), life in the international concessions of otherwise occupied Shanghai, scary trips over mountain passes, the still almost colonial attitude of the British in China, and much more.

All of this is told in a understated but witty way. Even the impact of the war is understated, and I know from other reading how cruel the Japanese invasion of China was. But this is a story of their journey, not of the war itself. Early in their stay, they were told about the German invasion of Austria, and they were to return to a Britain that was soon to be plunged into a war of its own.