I Live Under a Black Sun
By (Author) Dame Edith Sitwell
Peter Owen Publishers
Peter Owen Publishers
13th January 2007
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
823.912
254
Width 129mm, Height 198mm
231g
Dame Edith Sitwell, wit, notorious eccentric and poet, is not normally thought of as a novelist. But her only novel, I Live Under a Black Sun, is a true forgotten classic. Garlanded with extravagant praise on its release, it was reprinted several times but fell into neglect and has now been out of print for almost fifty years. The novel is a fictionalized biography of Jonathan Swift and his tragic relationships with 'Stella' and 'Vanessa', updated to a time during and after the First World War. Luxurious, angular and poetic, it is a novel unlike any other. This year is the 40th anniversary of Sitwell's death and a perfect time to rediscover this unique work.
"A novel by a great poet is something more than fiction--it not only tells a story, it illuminates life with a vividness of which only her genius could be capable."
Edith Sitwell was a poet, wit, and notorious eccentric. With her brothers Sachaverell and Osbert she was also a member of one of the most famous literary families of the 20th century. Her work includes Facade (set to music by William Walton) and Fanfare for Elizabeth.