Sacheverell Sitwell
Encyclopedia
Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet CH (15 November 1897 – 1 October 1988) was an English
writer, best known as an art critic
and writer on architecture
, particularly the baroque
. He was the younger brother of Dame Edith Sitwell
and Sir Osbert Sitwell
.
. His mother was the former Lady Ida Emily Augusta Denison, a daughter of the Earl of Londesborough and a granddaughter of Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
. She claimed a descent through female lines from the Plantagenets.
Sitwell was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire
and brought up in Derbyshire
; he was educated at Eton College
and Balliol College, Oxford
. In World War I
he served from 1916 in the British Army
, in the Grenadier Guards
.
After the war he went to Balliol but did not complete a degree, and was heavily involved in Osbert and Edith's projects. In 1925 he married a Canadian, Georgia Doble. Constant Lambert
set to music The Rio Grande, one of his poems, and it was performed and broadcast in 1928.
In his later life he became more reticent about associating himself with the publicity attaching to the Sitwells
collectively, instead preferring to travel and concentrate on writing. He became the 6th baronet
, inheriting the title when Osbert died in 1969. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1984. His main residence was Weston Hall
, Northamptonshire
, the family home and he served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
for 1948.
Because his poetry was so severely criticised by those who disliked the Sitwells in general, and although Canons of Giant Art is a work of very considerable impact, he refused to publish any of his poems for many years. In 1967 Derek Parker
published a selection of his poems in the summer edition of Poetry Review, including his elegy for his beloved sister Edith. Among his most remarkable and original works are a series of lengthly auto-biographical and art-based "fantasias" such as "For Want of the Golden City", "The Hunters and the Hunted", "Dance of the Quick and the Dead"(1936) that defy easy classification. The list of works below is incomplete.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer, best known as an art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
and writer on architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, particularly the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. He was the younger brother of Dame Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE was a British poet and critic.-Background:Edith Sitwell was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the oldest child and only daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet, of Renishaw Hall; he was an expert on genealogy and landscaping...
and Sir Osbert Sitwell
Osbert Sitwell
Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet, was an English writer. His elder sister was Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell and his younger brother was Sir Sacheverell Sitwell; like them he devoted his life to art and literature....
.
Life
He was the youngest child of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet of Renishaw HallRenishaw Hall
Renishaw Hall is a stately home in Derbyshire, England which dates from the 17th century. It is a Grade I listed building. It has been the home of the Sitwell family for over 350 years....
. His mother was the former Lady Ida Emily Augusta Denison, a daughter of the Earl of Londesborough and a granddaughter of Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
Major Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort KG , styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1803 and Marquess of Worcester between 1803 and 1835, was a British peer, soldier and politician.-Background:...
. She claimed a descent through female lines from the Plantagenets.
Sitwell was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and brought up in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
; he was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served from 1916 in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
.
After the war he went to Balliol but did not complete a degree, and was heavily involved in Osbert and Edith's projects. In 1925 he married a Canadian, Georgia Doble. Constant Lambert
Constant Lambert
Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer and conductor.-Early life:Lambert, the son of Russian-born Australian painter George Lambert, was educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal College of Music...
set to music The Rio Grande, one of his poems, and it was performed and broadcast in 1928.
In his later life he became more reticent about associating himself with the publicity attaching to the Sitwells
The Sitwells
The Sitwells , from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, were three siblings, who formed an identifiable literary and artistic clique around themselves in London in the period roughly 1916 to 1930...
collectively, instead preferring to travel and concentrate on writing. He became the 6th baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, inheriting the title when Osbert died in 1969. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1984. His main residence was Weston Hall
Weston Hall
Weston Hall is the Sitwell family house in Northamptonshire.It is in the village of Weston in the south of the county. It was the home of Sir Sacheverell Sitwell and his wife, the Canadian beauty Georgia Doble, from 1927 until his death in 1988. It was there that he wrote many of his 130 books on...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, the family home and he served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
for 1948.
Because his poetry was so severely criticised by those who disliked the Sitwells in general, and although Canons of Giant Art is a work of very considerable impact, he refused to publish any of his poems for many years. In 1967 Derek Parker
Derek Parker
Derek Parker is a British writer and broadcaster. He is the author of numerous works on literature, ballet, and opera, and with his wife Julia of several books about astrology.-Biography:...
published a selection of his poems in the summer edition of Poetry Review, including his elegy for his beloved sister Edith. Among his most remarkable and original works are a series of lengthly auto-biographical and art-based "fantasias" such as "For Want of the Golden City", "The Hunters and the Hunted", "Dance of the Quick and the Dead"(1936) that defy easy classification. The list of works below is incomplete.
Works
- The People's Palace (1918; poems)
- The Hundred and One Harlequins (1922; poems)
- Southern Baroque Art: a Study of Painting, Architecture and Music in Italy and Spain of the 17th & 18th Centuries (1924)
- The Thirteenth Caesar (1924; poems; contains The Rio Grande, the basis of Constant LambertConstant LambertLeonard Constant Lambert was a British composer and conductor.-Early life:Lambert, the son of Russian-born Australian painter George Lambert, was educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal College of Music...
's The Rio GrandeThe Rio Grande (Lambert)The Rio Grande is a work by Constant Lambert, for alto, choir, piano, brass, strings and a percussion section of 15 instruments, needing five players. It was written in 1927, and achieved instant and long-lasting popularity on its appearance on the concert stage in 1929...
) - German Baroque Art (1927)
- The Cyder Feast (1927; poems)
- All At Sea: A Social Tragedy in Three Acts for First-Class Passengers Only (1927) with Osbert SitwellOsbert SitwellSir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet, was an English writer. His elder sister was Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell and his younger brother was Sir Sacheverell Sitwell; like them he devoted his life to art and literature....
- The Gothick North: a Study of Mediaeval Life, Art, and Thought (1929)
- Dr. Donne and Gargantua (1930) poems
- Spanish Baroque Art, with Buildings in Portugal, Mexico, and Other Colonies (1931)
- Mozart (1932)
- Canons of Giant Art: Twenty Torsos in Heroic Landscapes (1933)
- Conversation Pieces: a Survey of English Domestic Portraits and their Painters (1936)
- Dance of the Quick and the Dead (1936)
- Narrative Pictures: a Survey of English Genre and its Painters (1938)
- German Baroque Sculpture (1938)
- Roumanian Journey (1938)
- The Romantic Ballet (1938) with C. W. Beaumont
- Old Fashioned Flowers (1939)
- Poltergeists: An Introduction and Examination Followed By Chosen Instances (1940)
- The Homing of the Winds: and other passages in prose. Faber & Faber, London (1942)
- Primitive Scenes and Festivals Faber & Faber, London (1942)
- The Hunters and the Hunted (1948)
- Selected Poems (1948)
- The Netherlands; A Study of Some Aspects of Art, Costume and Social Life (1948)
- Tropical Birds (1948)
- Spain (1950)
- Cupid and the Jacaranda (1952)
- Fine Bird Books (1953) with Handasyde Buchanan and James Fisher
- Liszt (1955)
- Denmark (1956)
- Arabesque & Honeycomb (1957)
- Journey to the Ends of Time, etc. (1959)
- British Architects & Craftsmen: survey taste, design, styles 1600-1830 (1960)
- Golden Wall and Mirador: Travels and Observations in Peru (1961)
- Great Houses of Europe (1964)
- Monks, Nuns and Monasteries (1965)
- Southern Baroque Revisited (1967)
- Gothic Europe (1969)
- A Background for Domenico Scarlatti, 1685-1757: Written for His Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary (1970)
- Tropicalia (1971; poems)
- Agamemnon's TombAgamemnon's TombAgamemnon's Tomb is a 1972 book of poetry by Sacheverell Sitwell.Quoted in Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger, London : Routledge and Kegan Ltd, 1967....
(1972; poems) - For Want of the Golden City (1973)
- Battles of the Centaurs (1973)
- Les Troyens (1973)
- Look at Sowerby's English Mushrooms and Fungi (1974)
- A Notebook on My New Poems (1974)
- All Summer in a Day : An Autobiographical Fantasia (1976)
- Placebo (1977)
- An Indian Summer: 100 recent poems (1982; poems)
- Hortus Sitwellianus (1984) with Meriel Edmunds and George Reresby Sitwell
- Sacheverell Sitwell's England (1986) edited by Michael Raeburn
External links
- Sacheverell Sitwell Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research CenterHarry Ransom Humanities Research CenterThe Harry Ransom Center is a library and archive at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the United States and Europe. The Ransom Center houses 36 million literary manuscripts, 1 million rare books, 5 million photographs, and more...
(HRHRC) - Georgia Doble Sitwell Collection at the HRHRC