Edith Sitwell was a poet and critic. She published regularly from 1913, and her work included experimental and abstract elements, some of which were arranged with music or performance art.

She was born into an aristocratic family in 1887, and started life in Yorkshire, England as the eldest daughter of Sir George Sitwell (4th Baronet of Renishaw Hall) and Lady Ida Emily Augusta. Sitwell had two younger brothers, Osbert and Sacheverell, who also followed literary paths during their lives.

Sitwell described her relationship with her parents as unloving, and she spent much of her life under the care of her governess, Helen Rootham. In 1914, Sitwell and Rootham moved to a flat in Bayswater, West London, during which time she wrote The Mother and Other Poems, The Wooden Pegasus and one of her most well-known works, Façade, which was written in 1922.

Sitwell's appearance and personality were unique. She was tall and had distinctive features which were due in part to Marfan Syndrome which affects connective tissue and results in longer than usual bone structures and other health issues. She was an eloquent speaker and not afraid to express her opinions or counter criticism.

Sitwell dressed in an historical style with flowing gowns and robes of brocade or velvet, and she was known for wearing turbans or distinctive hats. She was also famous for her extravagant jewellery which was often large and dramatic in style. She was quoted as saying her hands were her face and she felt undressed without her rings. She was photographed and painted by many (including photographer Cecil Beaton) and in many portraits her hands are posed around or near her face, or her hands and rings are a part of the composition. Her attitude towards her dress style was that 'all banners should be flying' and she was fiery with any critics of her appearance or her work.

Sitwell was known for reading events and collaborations with her brothers, along with social gatherings and support for young and unknown writers, poets and artists. She was friends with famous writers such as American novelist Gertrude Stein, and Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. She was close friends with the poet Siegfried Sassoon and sought his opinions about her work during the 1920s and 1930s. She also admired the painter Pavel Tchelitchev. She spent time in conversation with Marilyn Monroe and concluded that she was a very nice girl who was badly mistreated by the male element of Hollywood.

Later, Rootham became an invalid, and in 1932 they moved to Paris where Sitwell wrote a volume of poetry entitled Five Variations on a Theme in 1933. Her writing was carefully constructed and her work was recognised by the literary world when she was awarded The Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature. They stayed with Rootham's sister until Helen Rootham's death in 1938. Sitwell returned to England during the Second World War and lived with her brother Osbert at Renishaw Hall (the family seat) and continued to write.

Her work during the war included a dramatic poem about the London Blitz entitled Still Falls the Rain (1941) which was later used in one of five canticles (music with a religious focus - similar to hymns) written by the composer and conductor, Benjamin Britten - with the third being Still Falls the Rain - The Raids, 1940, Night and Dawn. (1954) which featured horn, and piano and written in memory of the young pianist and musical prodigy, Noel Mewton-Wood.

Other poems were set to music after her death including The Bee-Keeper (The Bee Oracles adapted by Priaulx Rainier in 1970) and selections from The Canticle of the Rose (arranged by Joseph Phibbs in 2005).

Other works during the 1940s included Street Songs, Green Song and Other Poems, The Song of the Cold, and The Shadow of Cain. In 1948, Sitwell and her brothers visited America and held poetry recitals during a tour, and she continued to write and give recitals throughout her life. She recorded some of her readings with co-narrators including the composer and Founder Musical Director of the Royal ballet, Constant Lambert, and the English tenor Peter Pears. Both participated in recordings of Façade.

In her personal life, Sitwell became a Dame of the British Empire in 1954, and she converted to Roman Catholicism in 1955. She never married and lived in Hampstead, London from 1961 with many cats for company until her death in 1964 at age 77.

Items from Edith Sitwell's famous jewellery collection can now be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and her memory was reprised by her cousin and actress, Tilda Swinton, who recreated her look and persona for a photoshoot in 1998. Filmed interviews still survive and offer fascinating glimpses into the life of an extraordinary woman. Her poetry can be found online along with readings and musical interpretations of her work in audio and video forms. Sitwell also wrote several books (including two about Elizabeth I) and one biographical novel I Live Under a Black Sun about essayist and poet Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745).

By Matt Sheen September MMXX - See video playlist for references

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