Lydia and Maynard: The Letters of Lydia Lopokova and John Maynard Keynes

These letters of correspondence between J M Keynes and Lydia Lopokova provide an almost overwhelming case that Keynes had decided that he was going to end his previously homosexual-bisexual lifestyle and become a practicing heterosexual.It is clear from the ending comments of nearly all of their letters(for instance,Lydia signs off on April 21st,1922 that"I gobble you from head to foot.L.")that they are already deeply involved in a sexual relationship.A careful reading of these letters serves to counterbalance the misleading impressions left in the works of Robert Skidelsky on Keynes that he was gay.Keynes ,in fact,would be more accurately described ,before he met Lydia, as being gay-bi.The reader will enjoy the letters of exchange on pp.143-145 between Keynes and Lydia about an algebra problem that Keynes sent to Lydia to solve.Of equal interest is the crossword puzzle that Keynes very ingeniously constructed to send to Lydia on Valentine Day in 1924(pp.288-289).