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Article: Zen and the art of street life
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 20, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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By any standards, the life of Issan Tommy Dorsey was
extraordinary. The back cover blurb on David Schneider's biography
of Dorsey, Street Zen: The Life and Work of Issan Dorsey, lists a
few of the reasons why: "Drag queen, junkie, alcoholic, commune
leader - and finally, Buddhist teacher. . . from his days as a
gorgeous female impersonator in the Fifties to the LSD experiences
that set him on the spiritual path, Issan's life was never
conventional."
Though largely ignored by the lit crit establishment on its
publication 18 months ago, Street Zen has recently been optioned by
a leading Hollywood director - confirming its cult status as both a
ripping yarn and a salutary tale of our times.
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