Mar 09 2009
Vita Sackville-West, Novelist, Poet and Gardener
~Vita Sackville-West, Novelist, Poet, Gardener~
English novelist, poet, biographer and gardener Vita Sackville-West is born today, March 9. She was born in Knole, Kent, into an old aristocratic English family, educated privately, and grew up in the south of England. She started writing novels and plays as a child. Sackville-West married the diplomat Harold Nicolson, and lived a harmonious relationship despite their bisexual relationships. They had two sons, Nigel and Benedict.
Sackville-West (1892-1962), is best remembered for her novels set among the English upper classes and for beautiful garden at Sissinghurst in Kent, and for her love affair with the famous novelist Virginia Woolf, who wrote her the novel Orlando as a tribute to her.
She published her first collection of poetry “Chatterton” at the age of 17, and ten years later, her first novel, Heritage, followed. Some of her bestselling novels include The Edwardians, all Passion Spent and No Signposts in the Sea.
Vita Sackville-West was a passionate gardener, respected for her knowledge on gardening, in which she also wrote a weekly gardening feature for the Observer.
This is interesting to know that she had a love affair with Virginia Wolf..
Yes, Icy. She has had quite a few great affairs, but it’s with V. Woolf that’s most popularly written and documented.
Interesting article! Her garden at Sissinghurst is somewhere I plan to visit one of these days. Heaven on earth!