Overview
In this fascinating autobiography, John Haylock (A Touch of the Orient, One Hot Summer in Kyoto), nearly eighty now, recalls a period when living in exotic Oriental locations seemed the only way for a gentleman to escape the stultifying constraints of English society. He didn't realize he was homosexual until he was twenty-eight and at the end of his war service in the Middle East: "I felt it was wiser to live in a tolerant land. I feared that my inclinations might lead me into trouble....It was better to be in self-exile than a personal criminal". As Haylock moved from Baghdad to Tokyo, Thailand to Morocco, he encountered memorable characters like Agatha Christie, Francis King, and Robin Maugham; witnessed the stormy preludes to the upheavals in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus; and fell in love with more than one pair of dark-brown eyes. The incisive character sketches and sensuous evocations of place in Eastern Exchange contribute to an unforgettable portrait of a fascinating life spent on the move in far-flung corners of the globe.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781900850094
- ISBN-10: 1900850095
- Publisher: Arcadia Books
- Publish Date: May 2004
- Dimensions: 8.58 x 5.32 x 0.59 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.72 pounds
- Page Count: 229
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