Reinvention in the Search for Asylum

Anna Kavan was born Helen Ferguson and published half of the works in her real name. By 1940, Ferguson had re-invented herself changing her name to Anna Kavan (a character from one of her books) and produced one of the most significant works in a genre of slipstream. The themes and characters in her books mirror her life experience - a life filled with abuse, drug addiction, loss and rejection. Some critics argue that she may have used her writing to try to influence the course of her life. Others suggest she sought acceptance and sympathy from society through her books - even though she made statements to the contrary. Whether these theories are accurate or not, we will never know. What we do know is that she remained a mystery in reality but made attempts to reveal herself in fiction. She managed to convert her miserable life into a fictional story that draws the reader into a net of surreal and dreamlike surroundings. The over-riding moods of Anna's works are those of inevitability and despair, but there is always some hope, which comes from Anna herself.