Bryher (1894-1985)—adventurer, novelist, publisher—flees Victorian Britain for the raucous streets of Cairo and sultry Parisian cafes. Amidst the intellectual circles of the twenties and thirties, she develops relationships with Marianne Moore, Freud, Paul Robeson, her longtime partner H.D., Stein, and others. This compelling memoir, first published in 1962, reveals Bryher’s exotic childhood, her impact on modernism, and her sense of social justice by helping over 100 people escape from the Nazis. “A work so rich in interest, so direct, revealing, and, above all, thought-provoking that this reader found it the most consistently exciting book of its kind to appear in many years.”—The New York Times
Bryher (born Annie Winifred Ellerman) is perhaps best known today as the lifelong partner of the poet H.D. She was, however, a central figure in modernist and avant-garde cultural experimentation in the early twentieth century; a prolific producer of poetry, novels, autobiography, and criticism; and an intimate and patron of such modernist artists as Gertrude Stein, Marianne Moore, and Dorothy Richardson. Bryher’s own path-breaking writing has remained largely neglected, long out of print, and inaccessible to those interested in her oeuvre. Now, for the first time since their original publication in the early 1920s, two of Bryher's pioneering works of fictionalized autobiography, titled Development and Two Selves, are reprinted in one volume for a new audience of readers, scholars, and critics. Blending poetry, prose, and autobiographical details, Development and Two Selves together constitute a compelling bildungsroman that is among the first ever to follow a young woman's process of coming out. Through the fictionalized character Nancy, the novels trace Bryher’s life through her childhood and young adulthood, giving the reader an account of the development of a unique lesbian, feminist, and modernist consciousness. Development and Two Selves recover significant work by one of the first experimenters of the modernist movement and are a welcome reintroduction of the enigmatic Bryher.
In this remarkable novel, Bryher takes the reader into sixth century Britain—Cornwall, the Scillys, Ireland and Wales. Arthur is dead and the uneasy peace which he established is drawing to its close. Young Ruan, nephew of a high priest, is destined for the priesthood. Turbulent and restless for adventure, he feels caged and longs for the high seas. At last he breaks free and sets out on the quest for those islands which are to him both an image and reality. The sights, sounds, passions and ordeals of Celtic Britain filter through Bryher’s haunting prose. With Ruan’s eyes we see the throngs at the Cornish fair, the religious ritual, the burial of the king on the mysterious Scilly Isles. With him we experience the mariners’ winter camp in Ireland and with him we flee for life through an Irish bog.
For daydreamers and the young at heart, this stunningly illustrated journey through a star-encrusted sky captures the beauty of our world--and of bonds that cannot be broken by any kind of distance. Nana speaks of astronomy often, telling fantastical tales from many moons ago, tales her granddaughter wonders at. Tonight, with hot chocolate and constellations for company, they wait. Moonbeams bounce off the crashing waves, and, at last, Nana's old friend appears in the sky: the Night Whale, swimming among the stars. Nana and the child climb onto the Night Whale's back, and she whisks them off--over twinkling cities, through the shimmering colors of the northern lights, and back again. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Nana. As she embraces her grandchild, she promises she will always be out there. Even when Nana and the Night Whale soar back toward the ether, leaving the child behind, she can still feel her grandmother's love and hear the Night Whale whispering, "Anything is possible." Debut author Bryher Mackenzie and illustrator Gillan Eilidh O'Mara craft a magical voyage through the heavens that reassures young readers that goodbye is not the end.
Londres, 1940. Los pertinaces bombardeos han vuelto aún más plomizo el horizonte y han teñido de desesperanza los corazones de sus habitantes, pero Selina y Angelina han descubierto que el remedio para los malos augurios es una humeante taza de té. Juntas administran una acogedora cafetería que, pese a la prohibición de vender una pieza de pan por persona, busca ofrecer a sus clientes lo mejor. El pequeño local, custodiado por la curiosa estatua de un bulldog —bautizado como Beowulf—, se convierte en el último refugio de un grupo de personajes entrañables que intentan llevar una vida normal mientras se disipa la tormenta de la guerra. Publicada originalmente en 1948, Beowulf es un clásico de la ficción histórica que se traduce por primera vez al español. Ambientada en el Blitz, es una novela de reconciliación y esperanza en la que descubrimos —a la par de sus personajes— que la vida puede ofrecernos sorpresas y motivos para ser feliz aun en las peores circunstancias. Bryher es el pseudónimo de una de las escritoras y personalidades británicas más importantes del siglo xx; sus novelas históricas tuvieron una gran acogida en los cincuenta y sesenta, y siguen siendo extraordinariamente vigentes. En Beowulf nos legó un hermoso testimonio literario sobre la «tenacidad y coraje que mostraron los británicos durante el momento más oscuro de su historia» ( The Paris Review).
Bryher (1894-1985)-adventurer, novelist, publisher-flees Victorian Britain for the raucous streets of Cairo and sultry Parisian cafes. Amidst the intellectual circles of the twenties and thirties, she develops relationships with Marianne Moore, Freud, Paul Robeson, her longtime partner H.D., Stein, and others. This compelling memoir reveals Bryher's exotic childhood, her impact on modernism, and her sense of social justice-helping over 100 people escape from the Nazis.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.