- In full:
- Dame Edith Sitwell
- Born:
- September 7, 1887, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England
- Died:
- December 9, 1964, London (aged 77)
- House / Dynasty:
- Sitwell family
- Notable Family Members:
- brother Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet
- brother Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Baronet
Edith Sitwell
-
Who was Edith Sitwell?
Edith Sitwell (1887â1964) was a British poet, known for her unique style and formidable personality. Along with her brothers, Osbert and Sacheverell, she led a revolt against the Georgian poetry of her time.
Sitwell's early work, such as Façade (1923), emphasized the value of sound and was set to music by William Walton. Her style evolved, and during World War II, she became known as a poet of emotional depth. Religious symbolism informed her later poetry, including Gardeners and Astronomers (1953) and The Outcasts (1962). She was created Dame of the British Empire in 1954.
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What is Edith Sitwell known for?
Edith Sitwell was an English poet known for her stylistic flair and formidable personality. She gained initial recognition for her role, alongside her brothers, in rebelling against Georgian poetry. Sitwell's early works, such as Clownsâ Houses and Façade, showcased her emphasis on the value of sound and unique imagery. During World War II, her poetry evolved to show emotional depth and spiritual and tragic grandeur, as seen in Street Songs, Green Song, and Song of the Cold. She was also known for her Elizabethan dress and eccentric opinions.
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What style of poetry did Edith Sitwell write?
Edith Sitwell first gained recognition for her stylistic artifice, leading a revolt against Georgian poetry with her brothers. Her early poetry emphasized the value of sound and was characterized by visual sensibility, verbal music, and the creation of her own world of beautiful objects and unfamiliar images. Façade (1923), with musical accompaniment by William Walton, particularly showcased her emphasis on sound. Sitwell's style evolved from the late 1920s, becoming less experimental, and during World War II, her poetry displayed emotional depth and spirituality, incorporating religious symbolism.
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How did Edith Sitwell contribute to British literature?
Edith Sitwell, a member of a distinguished literary family, gained initial recognition for her unique stylistic approach and later emerged as a poet of profound emotional depth. She played a role, alongside her brothers, in rebelling against the Georgian poetry style, notably through the annual anthology, Wheels. Sitwell's early poetry displayed a focus on visual sensibility and the musicality of words, as seen in Façade (1923), which was set to music by William Walton. Her style evolved, with her war poems, such as Street Songs (1942), reflecting a deeper spirituality and technical mastery, earning her recognition as a poet of tragic grandeur.
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What are some famous works by Edith Sitwell?
Dame Edith Sitwell (1887â1964) was a British poet known for her stylistic flair and eccentric personality.
Sitwell's notable works include:
* The Mother and Other Poems (1915)
* Clownsâ Houses (1918)
* Façade (1923), with musical accompaniment by William Walton
* Gold Coast Customs (1929)
* Street Songs (1942)
* Gardeners and Astronomers (1953)During World War II, Sitwell's poetry evolved to show emotional depth, especially in Street Songs, Green Song (1944), and Song of the Cold (1945). Her later works, such as Gardeners and Astronomers and The Outcasts (1962), explored religious symbolism, earning her recognition as a poet of tragic grandeur.
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How did Edith Sitwell influence other poets or artists?
Edith Sitwell, a British poet, significantly influenced other artists through her innovative approach to poetry and her collaborations with musicians. She gained attention for challenging the conventions of Georgian poetry, emphasizing the value of sound and visual sensibility in her work.
Sitwell's most notable collaboration was with William Walton, who composed a musical accompaniment for her poem Façade (1923), highlighting her emphasis on the musicality of verse. Her artistic battles and eccentric style, while sometimes overshadowing her talent, helped to create a unique world of imagery and symbolism that resonated with later artists.
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Edith Sitwell (born September 7, 1887, Scarborough, Yorkshire, Englandâdied December 9, 1964, London) was an English poet who first gained fame for her stylistic artifices but who emerged during World War II as a poet of emotional depth and profoundly human concerns. She was equally famed for her formidable personality, Elizabethan dress, and eccentric opinions.
A member of a distinguished literary family, she was the daughter of Sir George Sitwell and the sister of Sir Osbert and Sir Sacheverell Sitwell. Her first book, The Mother and Other Poems, appeared in 1915. She began to attract attention by editing in 1916 an annual anthology, Wheels, in which she and her brothers led a spirited revolt against the prevailing poetry of the Georgians. The notoriety sought by the Sitwells in their artistic battles may, at the time, have obscured the originality of her talent. The visual sensibility and verbal music of her early poetry, Clownsâ Houses (1918), Bucolic Comedies (1923), and The Sleeping Beauty (1924), in which she created her own world of beautiful objects, nursery symbols, and unfamiliar images, revealed the influence of W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot. Her emphasis on the value of sound in poetry was shown especially in Façade (1923), for which William Walton wrote a musical accompaniment. Gold Coast Customs (1929), with its harsher and more agonized imagery, marked the end of a period of experiment. In 1930 her Collected Poems appeared.
In her later work, especially Street Songs (1942), Green Song (1944), and Song of the Cold (1945), written during World War II, a greater mastery of technique and a deeper sense of suffering and spirituality are apparent. The religious symbolism that informs Sitwellâs war poetry was further emphasized in Gardeners and Astronomers (1953) and The Outcasts (1962), works that brought her wide recognition as a poet of tragic grandeur and intensity.
Her wide reading and scholarship and her predilection for the splendours of a lost aristocratic age are revealed in the prose works Alexander Pope (1930), Bath (1932), The English Eccentrics (1933), I Live Under a Black Sun (1937; a novel based on the life of Jonathan Swift), A Poetâs Notebook (1943), and A Notebook on William Shakespeare (1948). She made visits to the United States, where, in 1953 in Hollywood, she completed the film script of her book on the girlhood of Elizabeth I, A Fanfare for Elizabeth (first published 1946). Her Selected Letters (1970; also published as Selected Letters, 1919â1964) were edited by John Lehmann and Derek Parker. She was created Dame of the British Empire in 1954.