Kora & Ka: Novella with "Mira-Mare"

by H.D., Robert Spoo (Introduction)

Written by H.D. in 1930 and only published in a 100-copy edition for friends in 1934, Kora and Ka marked a new level of intensity in the poet's experiments with prose fiction. The two long stories contained in this volume, "Kora and Ka" and "Mira-Mare," are at once profoundly autobiographical yet, through H.D.'s unusual brand of modernist story-telling, pushed beyond personality. The men and women who haunt these tales are wraiths in spiritual exile, wanderers in a Europe still recovering from the devastations of World War I. Her descriptions of the beaches at Monte Carlo are triumphs of vivid detail--bright watercolors set against brooding psychological portraits. In its exploration of the "broken dualities" of self and civilization, Kora and Ka looks forward to H.D.'s masterpieces, Tribute to Freud and Trilogy.

Genres: Poetry, School, Literature

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

An innovative modernist American writer, Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961) wrote under her initials in a career that stretched from 1909 to 1961. H.D., most well known for her lyric and epic poetry, also wrote novels, memoirs, short stories, essays, reviews, a children’s book, and translations. An American woman who lived her adult life abroad, H.D. was engaged in the formalist experimentation that preoccupied much of her generation. A range of thematic concerns resonates through her writing: the role of the poet, the civilian representation of war, material and mythologized ancient cultures, the role of national and colonial identity, lesbian and queer sexuality, and religion and spirituality.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very pretty but maybe closer to 2.5, however, this entire book and particularly "Mira-Mare" felt (and to a lesser extent read) like the song Hamilton by Hazel English, and I love that song, so good vibes regardless 💭

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Kora and Ka but LOVED Mira-Mare.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird bisexual psychoanalytic shit as per usual. H.D. is so important to my queer femme existence.

[Aurora smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by H.D., my first being HERmione. One of the things that I've liked most about both of those two short stories is H.D.'s ability to dive you fully into the mind of the character, making you feel like you're suddenly in the deepest nooks and crannies of their mind. This is stream of consciousness on another level. Both of the short stories in this collection are complicated and sometimes hard to understand, but hard to understand in a way that feels purposeful and seems to add to the story. Kora and Ka manages to be both a piece of delicate writing and a sturdy piece all at once. Every time I read something by H.D. I find myself both desperately wanting to see what was inside her head and scared to even imagine it.
Sometimes while reading Kora and Ka I found myself feeling like I was missing something, and not fully understanding what was going on. The more I think about this the more I feel that this isn't bad. I almost feel like while I was reading these two stories I learned to accept that I wouldn't be able to understand everything that was happening, similar to the way you can't ever fully understand another human being, or yourself for that matter.

[a.d. · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will read and cherish anything by HD –– the unparalleled voice of precise poetry is truly inspirational

[Jomar Canales Conde · Rating 2 out of 5]

nope