 In the early 1920s , H.D. started to write three projected cycles of novels . The first of these , Magna Graeca , consists of Palimpsest ( 1921 ) and <unk> ( 1928 ) . The Magna Graeca novels use their classical settings to explore the poetic vocation , particularly as it applies to women in a patriarchal literary culture . The Madrigal cycle consists of <unk> , Bid Me to Live , Paint It Today and Asphodel , and is largely autobiographical , dealing with the development of the female artist and the conflict between heterosexual and lesbian desire . Kora and Ka and The Usual Star , two novellas from the Borderline cycle , were published in 1933 . In this period , she also wrote Pilate 's Wife , Mira @-@ Mare , and Nights . 
