The Britannias

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Britannias tells the story of Britain's islands and how they are woven into its collective cultural psyche. From Neolithic Orkney to modern-day Thanet, Alice Albinia explores the furthest reaches of Britain's island topography, once known (wrote Pliny) by the collective term, Britanniae. Sailing over borders, between languages and genres, trespassing through the past to understand the present, this book knocks the centre out to foreground neglected epics and subversive voices.

The ancient British mythology of islands ruled by women runs like a secret, hidden river through the literature of this land - from Roman colonial-era reports to early Welsh poetry, Renaissance drama to Restoration utopias - transcending and subverting the most male-fixated of ages. The Britannias looks far back into the past for direction and solace, while searching for new meaning about women's status in the body politic. Boldly upturning established truths about Britain, it pays homage to the islands' beauty, independence and their suppressed or forgotten histories.

©2023 Alice Albiniar (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • A dazzlingly brilliant book. Travelling by boat, swimming through kelp, riding on a fishing trawler, Alice Albinia takes us on an extraordinary journey around the British isles, revealing a liquid past where women ruled and mermaids sang and tracing the sea-changes of her own heart.

    Hannah Dawson

  • By looking more closely at the periphery, we might learn something new about the centre … Albinia’s prose is impressive … the main impression given by The Britannias is the uniqueness of our outlying islands, each one entire unto itself.

    Financial Times

  • Islands always intrigue, hovering on the horizons of our imaginations … [Albinia] makes memorable connections, meets some engaging people and offers some salutary observations.

    The Spectator

  • PRAISE FOR EMPIRES OF THE INDUS: A magnificent book, a triumphant melding of travel and history into a compelling story of adventure and discovery.

    Financial Times

  • Impressive and original… In the course of her journey, Albinia encounters all kinds of danger, and at times her courage tips her into foolhardiness… This, however, is the behaviour we expect of the best kind of travel writer.

    Daily Telegraph

  • Spellbinding… an impressive achievement.

    New Statesman

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