The Cat, an Illustrated Autobiography follows the adventures and witty remarks on life and love as seen by Loki, a very British cat. Written by the hilarious, totally original, and passionate artist/writer Isobel Violet Hunt, this book reflects the experiences of women seeking freedom, fresh adventures, and contact with the real world. Through Loki's eyes, we see the life that Violet Hunt would later write about in her better known White Rose of Weary Leaf (1908), which takes advantage of Hunt's ability to use an intricate storytelling technique to present the life of a young Cicely Yeoland as she navigates love, desire, and the contradictory social expectations of late 19th century England. Readers will find The Cat, an Illustrated Autobiography a very readable, relatable, and surprising novella that is perfect for reading, and laughing!, alone or out loud.
Violet Hunt was as feminist and freedom fighter. She was a member of both Women Writers' Suffrage League (WWSL) a writers' group focused on establishing the right to vote, and International PEN, a group dedicated to intellectual cooperation and protecting freedom of expression. Perhaps best known today for her stories of the supernatural such as Tales of the Uneasy, Hunt was also a curator of sorts, hosting a literary salon featuring Ezra Pound, Somerset Maugham, Ford Maddox Ford, and Rebecca West among others. The Cat, an Illustrated Autobiography fits in nicely with quality literary works by these friends.