The Sword Went Out to Sea: (Synthesis of a Dream), by Delia Alton

"The publication of H.D.'s late roman a clef is a timely one, as it engages many important critical questions: the place of the occult in modernism, women writers' response to war, the historical and biographical contexts of H.D.'s late writing. The editors give a forceful presentation of the novel's significance."--Eileen Gregory, University of Dallas

"H.D.'s The Sword Went Out to Sea was written in response to two world wars and years of unremitting bombing. A haunting novel of spiritual duress and survival, it remains eerily relevant today."--Donna Hollenberg, University of Connecticut

The modernist poet and novelist H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) was profoundly interested in the occult and during WWII conducted spiritualist seances in her home. Those experiences form much of the basis for her novel The Sword Went Out to Sea, which features an experimental structure and a blending of autobiography, dream, and vision.

Even though it was far too complex and eccentric for the popular presses of her day, H.D. believed The Sword Went Out to Sea was "the crown" of her years of serious study of esoteric doctrine as well as of her daily writing practice. It has never before been published.