FINDING EQUILIBRIUM : VITA SACKVILLE-WEST
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This is an absorbing, meticulous biography of Vita Sackville-West. It is written with objectivity and so Glendinning does not judge or come to any broad conclusions about Vita; she leaves that to the reader. She expects the reader to go elsewhere to learn more about the other actors including Harold Nicolson. I felt there could have been more about the fundamental, crucial change in Vita and her marriage to Harold after her love affair with Violet Trefusis. And more about Harold's story to make the whole a bit more balanced. This is my only criticism - basically I would have welcomed an even longer book. However, Glendinning does include a lot (because there is no major biography of her) about Vita's mother; I found a lot of this very entertaining plus it provides important background to Vita's own passionate nature and also her need for equilibrium and Harold.
The book left me with a sense of Vita as a self-centred (not all in a bad way) woman who lived life as far as she could on her terms. Did what she wanted. And broke hearts and even lives with little apparent remorse. She was also kind, passionate, thoughtful and elegant. Maybe her heart had been broken too. At the end of the book I felt ambiguous about her.
Last week I visited Sissinghurst. The book came to life. I saw the haven of gorgeous large gardens that were wrought, by day, through hard manual work over many years; the haven of the tower room where Vita worked, by night, in solitude writing and reading. There is the surrounding privacy cordon of wonderful Kent countryside gradually bought by Vita and Harold over the years. Not much of Vita's energy or money could have been wasted on the ephemeral or purposeless; it was invested in this perfect un-leavable place. I remembered she gave up her trust fund income to work for her living. She worked hard. She didn't waste time on the unproductive; she cut off unruly lovers that threatened her equilibrium. A visit to Knole this last Sunday made me see Vita in her natural romantic surroundings - just like Woolf's Orlando in his vulnerable youth. Despite her losses, and using her advantages Vita became herself, fused her different dimensions as far as she could; she found a certain freedom and an equilibrium. There were a few signs towards the very end of her life ('No Signposts in the Sea'), that she felt she might have got the balance wrong. But there was no guidebook, no signposts for such an individual life. Flaws and all, I've got to appreciate her. She comes from a different planet to me in terms of class and history - but her journey and choices make her fascinating and valid. Victoria Glendinning's biography is excellent but she admits it's not comprehensive. There is more to understand and this book is the most excellent place to start that journey. If you're able to, visit Sissinghurst and Knole - they are where you'll truly find and understand Vita. I enjoyed reading this book and didn't want it to end.
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One of the Best Bios I've Ever Read
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Victoria Glendinning is superb, and this biography is one of the most splendid things I have ever read. Vita S-W is very much humanized, and her unique relationship with her husband not necessarily explained, but illumined. I did not much care for V S-W - her snobbery set my teeth on edge, and was quite amused that she hung so tightly with another snob, Virgina Woolfe. But even snobs are human beings, and you have to give it to her, yes, she was a very interesting and unique woman.
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Impressive depiction of an extraordinary life
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Glendinning's biography is impressive in its scope and detail, and maintains a good pace throughout in dealing with the many different facets of VS-W's extraordinary life. She and her surrounding intimates are admirably painted, giving the reader a clear sense of all the key relationships as they develop throughout her life - including those with the houses (Knole, Long Barn and Sissinghurst). My only regret is that the book does not occasionally seek to take a long view of its subject's life, to aid understanding by picking out commmon themes or motifs, hence 4-stars. This is however a small quibble for what is a highly entertaining and well-written biography.
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A wonderful book on an extraordinary literary character
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Victoria Glendinning has written an interesting biography of an extraordinary literary character, Vita Sackville-West. Sackville-West, a close friend and short time lover of Virginia Woolf led a very controversial life between traditon and the demands of the modern world. Glendinning has indeed found wonderful sources for her book, one of the most valuable being the unpublished diaries of Vita. This biography told the whole story from Ms. Sackville-West's childhood to her death from a very objective viewpoint. She didn't emphasize the feminist perspective any more than she did the Lebian perspective, which was very refreshing, as most books on Sackville-West focus on either one or the other of these standpoints. Whether the reader is or isn't familiar with the literary history of the 20's this is good book to read to find out more. It is also very entertaining and sheds light to many issues of the 20's and 30's cultural atmosphere.
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