The Usurpers

The Usurpers,Willa Muir's fourth novel,was written in the early 1950s and based on her diaries in Prague from 1945-1948. It offers sharp observations on British-Czech relations and a deteriorating political environment, but was withdrawn due to libel suits and political sensitivity. The typescript has been in the care of the University of St Andrews Library and has been read by critics and enthusiasts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2023
Publisher: Colenso Books

Willa Muir's fourth novel, "The Usurpers," was written in the early 1950s and was based on the diaries she kept in Prague from 1945 to 1948, during her husband, the poet Edwin Muir's tenure as the Director of the British Institute in Prague. The book offers sharp, humorous, and occasionally acerbic observations on the relationships between the British in Prague (the city is never named) and their Czech friends, as well as those in the Czechoslovak establishment who were suspicious of the British presence. Through the actions and conversations of its characters, "The Usurpers" depicts a deteriorating political environment in which the lives of many Slavomanians and even some of the Utopians are increasingly under threat in the lead-up to the Communist coup of February 1948. The book was ready for publication in 1952 and was submitted to several major UK publishers under the pen-name Alexander Cory. However, the publishers were nervous due to concerns about libel suits and the political sensitivity of the contents. When Muir was publicly revealed to be the author, she withdrew the book. The typescript, from which this edition has been prepared, has long been in the care of the Library of the University of St Andrews, and over the years, it has been read by critics and Willa Muir enthusiasts, including Jim Potts, who brought it to the attention of Colenso Books and provided the Introduction. The non-publication of "The Usurpers" in the 1950s may have been partly due to political pressure, as the UK governments' grant-in-aid to the British Council was being called into question at that time.

Weight: 414g
Dimension: 209 x 147 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781912788279