Joe Randolph Ackerley was a British writer and editor whose openness about his identity was remarkable during a time when homosexuality was criminalized and socially ostracized. As the literary editor of The Listener for over two decades, he championed and published many emerging poets and writers who would go on to become influential figures in British literature. His editorial work significantly shaped the literary landscape, providing a crucial platform for new voices. Ackerley's own writings often delve into the complexities of human nature and relationships with profound insight.
In the 1920s, a young J. R. Ackerley spent several months in India as the personal Secretary to the maharajah of a small principality. In his journals, Ackerley recorded the Maharajah's fantastically eccentric habits and the shambling day-to-day life of his court. Hindoo Holiday is an intimate and very funny account of an exceedingly strange place.
Describes a Maharajah's eccentric habits and riddling conversations, and the odd shambling day-to-day life of his court.