"A suggestive and beguiling fiction by one of the twentieth century's most interest artistic figures. The Paris Press should be thanked for republishing it."―Margaret Atwood, The New York Review of Books

"This is an inspired and timely resurrection of an incisive and provocative fable of the high cost of apathy and the insidiousness of fascism, an intriguing progenitor of Philip Roth's The Plot Against America, and readers will find the accompanying profile of Bryher equally compelling."―Booklist

"Paris Press is to be applauded for reissuing Visa for Avalon."―Philadelphia Inquirer

"Bryher's writing is frustratingly plain at times, in the way that the chimes of a large bell can be annoying because they ring so clear and so true."―Los Angeles Times

"Just as the title is rich in implication, so too is the novel's every detail and seemingly casual observation."―The Atlanta Journal Constitution

"This subtly chilling novel is not easily laid down. With brilliant economy and suspense, it depicts a fascist movement transforming the lives of ordinary people who merely wanted to be let alone. Prescient as Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Visa for Avalon could hardly be more timely here and now.""―Adrienne Rich

"Visa for Avalon is a testament to the power of fiction. It illuminates the truth at the heart of what is commonly called reality. This account of lives, transformed and ruined by the triumph of a totalitarian rule is a timely reminder of how moral and intellectual laziness and apathy can pave the road to the reign of terror brought on by such a system.""―Azar Nafisi

"Visa for Avalon is a visionary and haunting novel. Bryher wrote this book forty years ago, but it speak directly to the politics of today. It's a warning against apathy and should be read by anyone who's worried about civil rights.""―Grace Pale

★A classic dystopian novel and fantasy literature with anti-fascist themes! Recommended by Margaret Atwood, the "Queen of Canadian literature" and author of "The Handmaid's Tale," as well as Azar Nafisi, an Iranian-American writer and professor of English literature and the author of ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’.
★This book has been praised as ‘George Orwell meets Margaret Atwood’ ! A wake-up book that encourages readers of all ages and backgrounds to defend democracy. An inspired and timely resurrection of an incisive and provocative fable of the high cost of apathy and the insidiousness of fascism.
★When it was first published in 1965, Britian-born and Switzerland-based Bryher was a popular historical novelist, but her work has long been out of print, and her fascinating life--she was also a pioneering publisher and philanthropist who helped dozens of Jewish and German intellectuals escape Nazi persecution--has nearly been forgotten. The book was relaunched more than 30 years later by the boutique publishing company "Paris Press" and still resonates deeply with us today.

Robinson has retired to the peaceful fishing village of Trelawney, where he lodges with Lilian, a widow much attached to her snug cottage. But there have been vague intimations of the growing strength of a tyrannical political force known as the Movement, and when the government abruptly requisitions her home, Lilian, along with many others, suddenly awakens to the fact that she has no place in this cruel new world. She and Robinson hastily seek permission to immigrate to the distant land of Avalon, but it may be too late. So begins this tautly constructed, chillingly dramatic, and profoundly resonant novel of warning.
In this chilling dystopian novel, four men and women attempt an escape to legendary Avalon after the "Movement" threatens the liberty and comforts they have taken for granted. Visa for Avalon takes place in an unnamed country and an unnamed time. In it, Bryher uses her knowledge of history and psychology to examine political crisis in a familiar setting. First published in 1965, it resonates profoundly today. The style is understated and tense as Bryher suggests that closing our eyes to growing restrictions and loss of liberties does not protect us. She offers a provocative commentary about the paradise of King Arthur's Avalon as well.

Bryher (1894-1983) wrote many critically acclaimed novels and memoirs during her lifetime. She was deeply involved in film, politics, and psychology. She funded Contact Editions, and edited Life and Letters To-day and the first English film journal, Close Up. She was the longtime companion of H.D., and a generous supporter of numerous writers, artists, psychoanalysts, and culture icons, including Marianne Moore, Sigmund Freud, Walter Benjamin, and Sylvia Beach of Shakespeare and Company.