Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964
Dates
- Existence: 1887-09-07 - 1964-12-09
Biographical Note
Edith Louisa Sitwell was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England in 1887. She and her two brothers, Osbert and Sacheverell, became known for their then-avant-garde literary work. She published one of her earliest poems in The Daily Mirror (1913), and, two years later, her first volume of poetry, The Mother and Other Poems (1915). Clown's Houses (1918), The Wooden Pegasus (1920), Façade (1922), and Bucolic Comedies (1923) - all lyrical works - followed. Sitwell gained wide recognition in 1923 following her controversial reading of Façade, which was the result of Sitwell's and composer William Walton's experimentation and collaboration. She continued to publish actively; among her best known works are Bucolic Comedies (1923), The Sleeping Beauty (1924), and Troy Park (1925). Sitwell wrote a biography of Alexander Pope in 1930. Sitwell converted to Catholicism in 1955. She continued to publish after her conversion, including a biography, The Queen and the Hive (1962), about Elizabeth of England and Mary of Scotland. Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell died in 1964.
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Boston College collection of Edith Sitwell
This collection of papers concerns twentieth-century British poet and author Edith Sitwell. It is comprised of correspondence, manuscript drafts of poems and other writings, and an obituary.
Collection is open for research.