Bryher: Two Novels: Development and Two Selves

by Bryher, Joanne Winning (Introduction)

Bryher 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.

"Bryher's novels have a strong place in the history of lesbian and transgendered writing. This volume is sure to be a useful tool for modernist studies, women's studies, and queer, gay, and lesbian studies."—Susan Stanford Friedman, University of Wisconsin–Madison, author of Mappings: Feminism and the Cultural Geographies of Encounter

"Highly readable. . . . Offers rare insights into gay life in the first quarter of the twentieth century."—Diana Collecott, University of Durham, author of H.D. and Sapphic Modernism

Bryher was a poet, novelist, critic, patron, and editor of the film journal Close Up and the literary magazine Life and Letters Today. Joanne Winning is lecturer in twentieth-century literature at the School of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Middlesex University, London.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT

289 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2000

About the author

Bryher was the pen name of the novelist, poet, memoirist, and magazine editor Annie Winifred Ellerman.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Portrait of the Artist as a young girl.

Portrait of the crushing of the Artist as a young girl.

Portrait of the resurrection and resilience of the Artist as a young girl.

Portrait of the Artist with synesthesia

Portrait of the Artist with gender dysphoria

Portrait of the Artist

[Avryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not always love the style of the prose and I found the narrative a little disjointed - sometimes the chapters felt more like vignettes than an overarching whole. That being said, this is a fascinating read for anyone interested in H.D. and her relationship with Bryher (particularly Bryher's life leading up to her first encounter with H.D.). There are also some poignant passages about the war, education, personal development, and the work of the writer.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Development is good (****), Two Selves proves the rule about sequels (**).

[Isla · Rating 2 out of 5]

A torturous read; only made it through Development. Although I appreciate the significance of the ideas in Development given the time at which it was written, Nancy's narration was far too claustrophobic and self-involved. We barely hear the voice of anyone other than herself throughout the entire novel. It got worse and worse as it went along; the only respite was the section in which she went to school, purely because it forced her to interact with other people. By the end Nancy is simply listing off the authors she's read and her opinions about each of them - not entirely sure who asked.