The Autobiography of Indra B. Tamang

My Curious Years with Charles Henri Ford

Indra B. Tamang, Romy Ashby

$39.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Turtle Point Press
29 January 2025

Individual artists, art monographs; Individual photographers; Individual architects & architectural firms; Biography: general; Memoirs

Told as much through images as through words, a young Nepalese man's globe-spanning relationship with ""the father of American surrealism"" changes the course of his life and gives him a new set of roots.

In 1973, poet, photographer, collage artist, and sculptorCharles Henri Ford convinced ayoung Nepalese waiter at his hotel in Kathmandu to come work as his all-purposehelper. Nineteen-year-old Indra Tamang, who spoke minimal English, was soonenjoying an education and a life he could not have imagined. He quicklygraduated from cooking and running errands to attending social engagements withCharles, to accompanying the artist on his international travels, eventuallybecoming his collaborator, and more of a son than an employee.

Charles was a magnet for creative people, and during the '70s,'80s, and '90s, Indra found himself at the center of seemingly every fantasticlittle universe in New York, Paris, Crete, and Kathmandu, often as a quietobserver taking photographs and making mental notes. There was Studio 54, AndyWarhol's Factory, the teas that Charles would host at the Dakota, attended byregulars such as Tennessee Williams, Quentin Crisp, Patti Smith, and HenryGeldzahler; there were special dinners at the United Nations; visits to MaryMcCarthy and Leonor Fini; and chats in the elevator with neighbors like Johnand Yoko and Lauren Bacall. Charles gave Indra a second upbringing, one thatIndra absorbed with tremendous curiosity and enthusiasm. In turn, Indra broughtCharles into his family's village in Nepal, introducing him to a world that notmany Westerners were privileged to see, especially then. Indra managed to shuttlebetween these two vastly different worlds, marrying and having children inNepal, though not revealing this to Charles for quite some years.

In 2010, Indra Tamang became the object of globalfascination after inheriting two apartments from Charles's sister, the actressRuth Ford. The story in the Wall Street Journal described a Nepalese ""butler""who ""grew up in a mud hut"" and ended up owning property in one of New York'smost famous buildings. The attention that followed inspired Indra to write thisricher and more accurate account of his life. Illustrated with more than 100 photographs and ephemera from the private collections of Charles and Indra,some never before shown, andgathered together for the first time,readers will discover that nothing about Indra's ""curious years"" with Charlesand his friends was ordinary or predictable in anyway.

By: Indra B. Tamang, Romy Ashby
Imprint: Turtle Point Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 177mm,
ISBN: 9781885983473
ISBN 10: 1885983476
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 29 January 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Indra Tamang was born in the Makwanpur District of SouthernNepal in 1953, and first came to New York City in 1974. He is known for hisartistic collaborations with Charles Henri Ford, and he became internationallyknown as ""The Butler"" who inherited a fortune from Charles Henri's sister, RuthFord. Since the passing of Ruth and Charles Henri Ford, he continues to furthertheir legacies, and manages the use of Charles Henri's published work. He hasshown his own photography and other artwork at the Mitchell Algus Gallery, theWoolworth Building, and the 292 Gallery in Lower Manhattan. Between 2008 and2010 he served as elected President of the Tamang Society of America, and remainsan active member of the Nepali community in New York. Romy Ashby is a New York-based writer, lyricist, editor, andinterviewer. She's written numerous Blondie songs with Chris Stein and DebbieHarry, and is the editor of the small interview magazine Housedeer as well as authorof the blog Walkers in the City.

Reviews for The Autobiography of Indra B. Tamang: My Curious Years with Charles Henri Ford

"""In 1964, at just 21, I secured a job as secretary and archivist in an artistic ménage at the heart of New York's cultural élite. I had been engaged by Ruth Ford and her husband, Zachary Scott, but Ruth's brother, Charles Henri Ford, was at the heart of this circle. I traveled across the pond on the Queen Elizabeth, and was provided with a studio flat at the Dakota Building. (This later became a storeroom for John Lennon and Yoko Ono!) This was a time when all manner of people called to speak or meet with Ruth, Zachary, or Charles: John Steinbeck, Edward James, Andy Warhol, Lauren Bacall, and Quentin Crisp come to mind. It was into this milieu that Indra Tamang was introduced by Charles. Indra was in his own way as remarkable as any of the celebrities he was to mix with. His latent artistic sensitivities were expressed in photography and his engaging personality. Indra is indeed an extraordinary person whose life story is as unlikely as a fairy story and a parable of abilities and service justly rewarded.""--Penelope Davidson, former secretary and archivist to Ruth Ford"