Edith Sitwell | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Sitwell by Roger Fry, 1915 | |
| Born | Edith Louisa Sitwell 7 September 1887 Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 9 December 1964 (aged 77) London, England |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | British |
| Parents | George Sitwell Lady Ida Denison |
| Relatives | Osbert Sitwell and Sacheverell Sitwell (brothers) |
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess. She never married but became passionately attached to Russian painter Pavel Tchelitchew, and her home was always open to London's poetic circle, to whom she was generous and helpful.
Sitwell published poetry continuously from 1913, some of it abstract and set to music. With her dramatic style and exotic costumes, she was sometimes labelled a poseur, but her work was praised for its solid technique and painstaking craftsmanship. She was a recipient of the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature.