Sitwell family

Sitwell family, British family of writers. Edith Sitwell (1887–1964) attracted attention when she joined her brothers in a revolt against Georgian poetry. Her early work, which emphasizes the value of sound, includes Clowns’ Houses (1918) and Façade (1923), set to music by William Walton. Beginning with Gold Coast Customs (1929), her style became less artificial and experimental, and during World War II she emerged as a poet of some emotional depth. Her later poetry is informed by religious symbolism, as in Gardeners and Astronomers (1953) and The Outcasts (1962). She was famous for her formidable personality, Elizabethan dress, and eccentric opinions. Her brother Osbert (1892–1969) became famous, with his siblings, as a tilter at establishment windmills in literature and the arts. His best-known books are his memoirs, including Left Hand! Right Hand! (1944) and Noble Essences (1950), which create with conscious nostalgia the portrait of a vanished aristocratic age. Their brother Sacheverell (1897–1988) is best known for his books on art, architecture, and travel. His Southern Baroque Art (1924) was the forerunner of much academic research. His poetry, including The People’s Palace (1918) and The Rio Grande, was written mostly in traditional metres and reveals in its mannered style his interest in the arts and music.