Conundrum - Softcover

Jan Morris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140086927 ISBN 13: 9780140086928

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 1987

Synopsis

This remarkable memoir is the classic account of the transgender journey. It is all the more extraordinary because it is the life story of a figure who, it seemed, seamlessly, and publicly charted a course through the English establishment – James Morris, outstanding journalist, historian and travel writer, famed for a peerless writing style. But all the while he was concealing a very different inner world: from the age of four he felt that, despite his body, he was really a girl. Determined to be true to an undeniable inner impulse, James Morris, in his 40s, became Jan Morris. It was the 1970s, a time and culture far from our 21st century where such matters have now become commonplace. What was it that impelled him to take such a frightening and irrevocable step? He faced the mental and physical challenges – the operation had to be done in Morocco and, as a well-known figure, attention from the world media could not be avoided. What pressures would that put on the family – a loving wife and growing children living in a North Wales village? But that inner impulse could not be denied. Jan Morris tells the story in a clear and honest manner, without a trace of sentimentality or sensationalism. She recounts the emotional, physical, sexual and social issues that abound on such a journey in detail, and through this highly personal memoir presents a memorable insight into the ‘conundrum’. Modest by nature, it is only by implication that one becomes aware of the immense courage and integrity needed to see the transition through. This is a deeply moving, beautifully written, unforgettable memoir. Sensational – yes in a quiet way. Revealing – yes, no punches are pulled. But, in the end, it is humane and uplifting.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"This is a beautiful book.  I found it to be melancholic, courageous, and wise.  That it's subject matter is Jan Morris's transsexual journey almost seems secondary to her incredible prose and the clarity of her honesty and introspection.  Beyond the issue of gender, she searches for an answer to that most elusive of questions: who am I?" -- Jonathan Ames

About the Author

Jan Morris was born in 1926 of a Welsh father and an English mother, and when she is not travelling she lives with her partner Elizabeth Morris in the top left-hand corner of Wales, between the mountains and the sea. Her books include Coronation Everest, Venice, The Pax Britannica Trilogy (Heaven's Command, Pax Britannica, and Farewell the Trumpets), and Conundrum. She is also the author of six books about cities and countries, two autobiographical books, several volumes of collected travel essays and the unclassifiable Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere. A Writer's World, a collection of her travel writing and reportage from over five decades, was published in 2003. Hav, her novel, was published in a new and expanded form in 2006.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Ltd
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140086927
• ISBN 13: 9780140086928
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160