I don’t now remember how I first came to pick up Vita and Harold: The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson off the library shelf in 1992 or 1993. I suspect I was just interested in collections of letters at the time (I still am) and this looked good. Anyway, I’ve become fascinated with Harold and to a lesser extent with Vita. Oddly enough, after finishing re-reading this book last night, I heard Harold Nicolson mentioned on NPR this afternoon, although the fellow called him David Nicolson, and didn’t seem to know that not only did he write about the Treaty of Versailles, he wrote the Treaty of Versailles. Well, a very small part of it. He also, I believe, wrote the first draft of the Balfour Declaration. And, of course, he wrote the book on Diplomacy, in addition to writing several biographies, a couple of novels and a weekly newspaper column for some decades. Vita wrote The Land and The Edwardians, along with a fair amount of poetry, novels and short stories, much of which was very highly regarded at the time; she got her Honours before he did, and would have been a Dame, no doubt, had there been Dames in those days.
And, of course, they are best known as gardeners. Crazy Brits.
Anyway, I’ve become fascinated by them, particularly by Harold, and it began with this book. Rereading it, as I have over the last couple of weeks, I’m reminded that they’re not terribly likeable, that for all the fuss over their marriage (he was essentially gay, she bisexual, and their marriage ... open) they do appear to have gotten on rather badly for substantial periods. There’s a good deal of fatuousness, of name-dropping, of pretension, along with a good deal of insight, observation, and love. It’s really a fascinating book, and they are fascinating people.
Thank you,
-Vardibidian.
Did you mention it in SWAPA a long time ago? I seem to remember adding it to my too-read list. Do you ever lend books via the post? I’d love to borrow it if so.