Edith, Osbert, and Sacheverell Sitwell Papers, 1917-1972 | WorldCat.org (original) (raw)

Summary:The papers of Edith Sitwell, Osbert, and Sacheverell Sitwell, consist of correspondence, writings, and miscellanea. Outgoing correspondence in the collection informally addresses some aspect of the Sitwells' literary affairs including lecture tours, work in progress, relations with the press and critics, and appraisal of other writers. Many of the letters also discuss personal concerns such as friends and relatives, illness, finances and household activity. In the case of Edith Sitwell, a major portion is comprised of Edith's letters to her two secretaries, Dorothy Marshall and Elizabeth Salter. Salter quoted from many of these in her memoir of Edith, The Last Years of a Rebel (1967). Incoming items are single letters or small groups of letters from Sitwell friends or literary representatives who, for the most part, discuss literary projects and literary figures. Many of the untitled manuscripts are bound notebooks containing a variety of work written over a lengthy period of time, including many titled pieces. Manuscript material, often heavily revised and corrected, consists of handwritten poetry (later published) and drafts of published articles and portions of books. The miscellanea consists of material dedicated to the Sitwells or written about them, works published by friends, and Sitwell items not of a literary nature such as bank account books