Peter Owens Publishers, 2013

First published in 1945, the stories collected in I Am Lazarus are a brilliant summation of the war experiences of Anna Kavan, author of the cult hit Ice, who worked among invalided soldiers at a ‘military neurosis centre’ at the height of the London Blitz.

Kavan’s view of the capital and some of its war victims in this momentous era are typically original and oblique: ‘Lazarus’ is a patient revived from catatonia who somehow remains institutionalized; the Blitz spirit is coolly stripped of cheeriness and never-say-die in ‘Glorious Boys and ‘Our City’; there is a Hithcockian horror story in ‘The Gannets’, while in ‘Who Has Desired The Sea’ and ‘The Blackout’ the ‘shell-shocked’ have ultimately only seen war exacerbate old, long-suppressed psychological wounds. Chilling but compassionate classics, the I Am Lazarus collection is an essential and honest document of the time – and of Anna Kavan.

*** Donated by August Raven - Please note that most books donated by the artist August Raven were signed by him in black ink on side of the book. The artist created a sculptural donation by signing book sides with india ink, his primary medium. ***