Edith Sitwell

Edith Sitwell (September 7 1887 – December 9 1964) was a British poet and critic.

Poetry

She published her first poem The Drowned Suns in the Daily Mirror in 1913 and between 1916 and 1921 edited Wheels, an annual poetic anthology drawn up in collaboration with her brothers as a literary clique generally called the Sitwells. In 1929 she published Gold Coast Customs, a poem about the artificiality of human behaviour and the barbarism that lies beneath the surface. The poem was written in the rhythms of the tom-tom and of jazz, and shows considerable technical skill.

Related Topics:
Daily Mirror - 1913 - 1916 - 1921 - The Sitwells - Gold Coast Customs - Tom-tom - Jazz

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She became a proponent and supporter of innovative trends in English poetry and opposed what she considered the conventionalism of many contemporary backward-looking poets. She was an unusual sight herself, having angular features resembling Queen Elizabeth I and being six feet (183 cm) tall, but mainly because she often dressed in an unusual manner with gowns of brocade or velvet with gold turbans and a plethora of rings - her jewellery may be seen in the jewellery galleries of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Her flat became a meeting place for young writers who she wished to befriend and help: these later included Dylan Thomas and Denton Welch. She also helped to publish the poetry of Wilfred Owen after his death.

Related Topics:
Queen Elizabeth I - Brocade - Velvet - Turban - Victoria and Albert Museum - Dylan Thomas - Denton Welch - Wilfred Owen

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