The Origins of The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia by Mary Talbot

	When we happened to meet Mary and Bryan Talbot just before Christmas, Mary told us just what they had coming next: The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia, a graphic biography of Louise Michel, the revolutionary feminist dubbed ‘The Red Virgin of Montmartre’, which is publishing in May from Jonathan Cape.
	Graphic novel – check. Social importance – check. Heavens, even some relevance to science fiction – check! A worthy and very Carabas title in other words. So we asked Mary if she wouldn’t mind dropping us a few lines on how she came to write – and Bryan to draw – The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia…

The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia is about Louise Michel, an extraordinary figure from 19^th-century French history.

The early 1870s was a turbulent period in French history and Louise was right in the thick of it: a utopian dreamer, teacher, fighter, orator and poet. Her name is a familiar one in France – schools and colleges are named after her, even a Paris square and a Metro station bear her name – but in the English-speaking world she’s virtually unknown. Bryan came across the character in The World That Never Was: The True Story of Dreamers, Schemers, Anarchists and Secret Agents. Alex Butterworth, its author, had sent him a proof copy out of interest. It turns out he’s a Grandville fan!

That was in 2010. Later in the year, we were in Paris, where we went to an amazing exhibition of photographs taken during the Paris Commune of 1871. I was intrigued, but it was only 3 years later that I began to follow it up, as I’d just started research for what became Sally Heathcote Suffragette.

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The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia is a biography of Louise. Beyond that, it celebrates the utopian urge in 19^th century literature and politics and the origins of science fiction. We hope you enjoy it.

Mary Talbot

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You can read more on The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia along with other great graphic novels and fiction and non-fiction on our May 2016 Book Recommends Page, and you can see what publisher Jonathan Cape has to say on our Jan-Jun 2016 Jonathan Cape page (along with other great titles from them) or via the Forbidden Planet link below. We’ve also got a six page preview for you here!

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