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Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet CH
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(6 December 1892 – 4 May 1969) was an English writer. His elder sister was
Edith Sitwell Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess ...
and his younger brother was
Sacheverell Sitwell Sir Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell, 6th Baronet, (; 15 November 1897 – 1 October 1988) was an English writer, particularly on baroque architecture, and an art and music critic. Sitwell produced some 50 volumes of poetry and some 50 works o ...
. Like them, he devoted his life to art and literature.


Early life

Sitwell was born on 6 December 1892 at 3 Arlington Street,
St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...
, London. His parents were Sir George Reresby Sitwell, fourth baronet,
genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...
and
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
, and Lady Ida Emily Augusta (''née'' Denison). He grew up in the family seat at Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire, and at family mansions in the region of
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
, and went to
Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent school, independent boys' Preparatory school (UK), preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed ...
, then
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
from 1906 to 1909. For many years his entry in ''
Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
'' contained the phrase "Educ ted during the holidays from Eton." In 1911 he joined the
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve. Originally raised as the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cav ...
but, not cut out to be a cavalry officer, transferred to the
Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
at the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
from where, in his off-duty time, he could frequent theatres and art galleries.


Army

Late in 1914 Sitwell's civilised life was exchanged for the trenches of France near
Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. It was here that he wrote his first poetry, describing it as "Some instinct, and a combination of feelings not hitherto experienced united to drive me to paper". "Babel" was published in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' on 11 May 1916. In the same year, he began literary collaborations and anthologies with his brother and sister, the trio being usually referred to simply as
the Sitwells The Sitwells (Edith Sitwell, Osbert Sitwell, Sacheverell Sitwell), from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire and the family seat of Renishaw Hall, were three siblings who formed an identifiable literary and artistic cliqu ...
.


Political and other activity

He acted as
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...
at the wedding of Alexander, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, son of
Prince Henry of Battenberg Prince Henry of Battenberg (Henry Maurice; 5 October 1858 – 20 January 1896), formerly Count Henry of Battenberg, was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. He became a member of the British royal family by marriage to Pri ...
and
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom Princess Beatrice (Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore; 14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944), later Princess Henry of Battenberg, was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Beatrice was also the last of Queen ...
, on 19 July 1917 at the
Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...
,
St. James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 1918 Sitwell left the Army with the rank of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, and contested the 1918 general election as the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
candidate for Scarborough and Whitby, finishing second. Sitwell was opposed to British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Sitwell wrote a 1919 poem ("A Certain Statesman"), satirizing
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
for his advocacy of British involvement in the conflict. Sitwell also wrote the poem "Shaking Hands With Murder" which was published in the '' Daily Herald'' newspaper in 1920; this poem derided Brigadier-General
Reginald Dyer Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, (9 October 186423 July 1927) was a British military officer in the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted British Indian Army. His military career began in the regular British Army, but he soon transf ...
for ordering the
Amritsar massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (), also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, British India, during the annual Baisakhi fair to protest against the ...
. Later he moved towards the political right, though politics were very seldom explicit in his writings. In ''Who's Who'' he ultimately declared of his political views: "Advocates compulsory Freedom everywhere, the suppression of Public Opinion in the interest of Free Speech, and the rationing of brains without which innovation there can be no true democracy." Sitwell campaigned for the preservation of Georgian buildings and was responsible for saving
Sutton Scarsdale Hall Sutton Scarsdale Hall is a Grade I listed Georgian ruined stately home in Sutton Scarsdale, just outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Estate history The original Hall formed part of a Saxon estate owned by Wulfric Spott, who died in 1002 an ...
, now owned by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
. He was an early and active member of the Georgian Group. He also had an interest in the
paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
and joined
the Ghost Club The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization, founded in London in 1862. It is believed to be the oldest such organisation in the world, though its history has not been continuous. The club still investigates mainly gh ...
, which at the time was being relaunched as a dinner society dedicated to discussing paranormal occurrences and topics.


Writing career

Sitwell devoted himself to poetry, art criticism and controversial journalism. Together with his brother, he sponsored a controversial exhibition of works by
Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...
, Utrillo,
Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
and Modigliani. The composer
William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...
also greatly benefited from his largesse (though the two men afterwards fell out) and Walton's
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
''
Belshazzar's Feast Belshazzar's feast, or the story of the writing on the wall, chapter 5 in the Book of Daniel, tells how Neo-Babylonian royal Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple. ...
'' was written to Sitwell's libretto. He published three books of poems: ''Argonaut and Juggernaut'' (1919); ''At the House of Mrs Kinfoot'' (1921); and ''Out Of The Flame'' (1923).


Works

Sitwell's first work of fiction, ''Triple Fugue'', was published in 1924, and visits to Italy and Germany produced ''Discursions on Travel, Art and Life'' (1925). His first novel, ''Before the Bombardment'' (1926), set in an out-of-season hotel, was well reviewed – Ralph Straus writing for ''
Bystander Bystander may refer to: In media * ''Bystander'' (novel), a 1930 novel by Maxim Gorki * ''Bystander'' (magazine), was a British weekly tabloid magazine *'' Guilty Bystander'', a 1950 independent film production * ''Innocent Bystanders'' (film), ...
'' magazine called it 'a nearly flawless piece of satirical writing', and
Beverley Nichols John Beverley Nichols (9 September 1898 – 15 September 1983) was an English writer, playwright and public speaker. He wrote more than 60 books and plays. Career Between his first book, the novel ''Prelude'' (1920), and his last, a book of po ...
praised 'the richness of its beauty and wit'. His subsequent novel ''The Man Who Lost Himself'' (1929) did not receive the same critical acclaim. However, for Osbert Sitwell it was an attempt to take further the techniques that he had experimented with in his début, and he ventured to explain this in one challenging sentence in his Preface when he said: "Convinced that movement is not in itself enough, that no particular action or sequence of actions is in itself of sufficient concern to dare lay claim to the intelligent attention of the reader, that adventures of the mind and soul are more interesting, because more mysterious, than those of the body, and yet that, on the other hand, the essence does not reside to any much greater degree in the tangle of reason, unreason, and previous history, in which each action, event and thought is founded, but is to be discovered, rather, in that balance, so difficult to achieve, which lies between them, he has attempted to write a book which might best be described as a Novel of Reasoned Action". Re-edited over three quarters of a century after its initial publication, ''The Man Who Lost Himself'' has found new popularity as an idiosyncratic mystery novel. Sitwell went on to write several further novels, including ''Miracle on Sinai'' (1934) and ''Those Were the Days'' (1937) neither of which received the same glowing reviews as his first. A collection of short stories ''Open the Door'' (1940), his fifth novel '' A Place of One's Own'' (1940), his ''Selected Poems'' (1943) and a book of essays ''Sing High, Sing Low'' (1944) were reasonably well received. His "The Four Continents" (1951) is a book of travel, reminiscence and observation.


''Rat Week''

Sitwell was a close friend of the Duke and Duchess of York, future
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
and
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
. In December 1936, when the
abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...
of
King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
was announced, he wrote a poem, ''Rat Week'', attacking principally the former king and
Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...
but also those friends of Edward who deserted him when his alliance with Simpson became common knowledge in England. Because of its libellous content it was not published but Sitwell ensured that it was circulated privately.Pearson (1986), p. 16 In February 1937, a version appeared in ''
Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass distance ride by a company of riders. Sometimes the focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display and the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. ...
'', which Sitwell described as a "paper, which confounded liveliness with mischief".Sitwell, p. 67 The ''Cavalcade'' version omitted the "offensive" references to Edward and Wallis. This resulted in the poem's gaining an unwarranted reputation as being sympathetic to the Windsors over the way some of their friends had treated them. ''Cavalcade'' also missed out a verse in which a number of the "rats" were named explicitly, as to publish this would have been libellous. Sitwell sued ''Cavalcade'' for breach of copyright. He obtained an interim injunction preventing further publication in ''Cavalcade'', which ensured further surreptitious circulation of the poem. When the full case came to court, ''Cavalcade'' tried to get Sitwell to produce the missing verse. Sitwell resisted on the grounds that he could not be forced to make a criminally libellous statement. The case ended up in the Appeal Court, where Sitwell won and obtained damages and costs. Sitwell knew that, because of the libel issue, the poem could not be published in his lifetime; he decided that publication should wait even longer than that to avoid "pain to those still living". The poem was first published posthumously in 1986, the year the Duchess of Windsor (as Wallis had become) died, in a book entitled ''Rat Week: An Essay on the Abdication''. Sitwell then explained the background to the poem in some detail because he recognised that the long delay in publication would result in many readers being unfamiliar with the characters. The book also contains a foreword by John Pearson, explaining some of the background to the publication of the book.


Autobiography

In 1943 he started an autobiography that ran to four volumes: ''Left Hand, Right Hand!'' (1943), ''The Scarlet Tree'' (1946), ''Great Morning'' (1947) and ''Laughter in the Next Room'' (1949). The first volume includes a chapter on "The Sargent Group" a humorous account of
John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...
's group portrait of
the Sitwells The Sitwells (Edith Sitwell, Osbert Sitwell, Sacheverell Sitwell), from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire and the family seat of Renishaw Hall, were three siblings who formed an identifiable literary and artistic cliqu ...
(Sitwell family), and the adjustments that Sargent made to Edith's and her father's noses. Writing in ''
The Adelphi ''The Adelphi'' or ''New Adelphi'' was an English literary journal founded by John Middleton Murry and published between 1923 and 1955. The first issue appeared in June 1923, with issues published monthly thereafter. Between August 1927 and Se ...
'',
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
declared that, "although the range they cover is narrow, heymust be among the best autobiographies of our time." Sitwell's autobiography was followed by a collection of essays about various people he had known, ''Noble Essences: A Book of Characters'' (1950), and a postscript, ''Tales my Father Taught Me'' (1962). The sometimes acidic diarist
James Agate James Evershed Agate (9 September 1877 – 6 June 1947) was an English diarist and theatre critic between the two world wars. He took up journalism in his late twenties and was on the staff of ''The Manchester Guardian'' in 1907–1914. He late ...
commented on Sitwell after a drinking session on 3 June 1932, in ''Ego'', volume 1, "There is something self-satisfied and having-to-do-with-the-Bourbons about him which is annoying, though there is also something of the crowned-head consciousness which is disarming." In ''Who's Who'', he summed up his career: "For the past 30 years has conducted, in conjunction with his brother and sister, a series of skirmishes and hand-to-hand battles against the
Philistine Philistines (; Septuagint, LXX: ; ) were ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philist ...
. Though outnumbered, has occasionally succeeded in denting the line, though not without damage to himself."


Baronetcy and honours

After Sitwell's father died, in 1943, Osbert succeeded to the
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
cy. Sitwell was made a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in 1956 and a
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire. The orde ...
(CH) in 1958.


Personal life

In 1923, Sitwell met David Stuart Horner (1900 – 1983) who was his lover and companion for most of his life.


Death

Sitwell suffered from
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
from the 1950s; by the mid-1960s his condition had become so severe that he had to abandon writing. He spent his last years in Italy, at the , in Montespertoli near
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, which his father had bought derelict and restored as his personal residence; he died there on 4 May 1969. The castle was left to his nephew, Reresby; his money was left to his brother Sacheverell. Sitwell was cremated and his ashes buried in the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Florence, together with a copy of his first novel, ''Before the Bombardment''.


Select bibliography

* ''Triple Fugue'' (stories) (1924) * ''Discursions on Travel, Art and Life'' (essays) (1925) * ''Before the Bombardment'' (novel) (1926) * ''The Man Who Lost Himself'' (novel) (1929) * ''Dumb-Animal and Other Stories'' (1930) * ''Collected Poems and Satires'' (1931) * ''Winters of Content, More Discursions on Travel, Art and Life'' (1932) * ''Dickens'' (1932) * ''Miracles on Sinaï'' (novel) (1934) * ''Penny Foolish: A Book of Tirades and Panegyrics'' (1935) * ''Those Were the Days'' (novel) (1937) * ''Escape With Me! An Oriental Sketch-Book'' (travels, China) (1939) * '' A Place of One's Own'' (novel) (1940) * ''Selected Poems'' (1943) * ''Left Hand! Right Hand!'' (autobiography, vol. 1) (1944) * ''Sing High, Sing Low'' (essays) (1944) * ''The Scarlet Tree'' (autobiography, vol. 2) (1946) * ''Great Morning'' (autobiography, vol. 3) (1947) * ''Laughter in the Next Room'' (autobiography, vol. 4) (1948) * ''Four Songs of the Italian Earth'' (1948) * ''The Death of a God and Other Stories'' (1949) * ''Noble Essences'' (autobiography, vol. 5) (1950) * ''Wrack at Tidesend'' (poetry) (1954) * ''Tales My Father Taught Me'' (1962) (adapted for radio in 1990) * ''Pound Wise'' (final complete work) (1963) * ''Rat Week: An Essay on the Abdication'' (posthumously published) (1986)


References


Further reading

* Ziegler, Philip, ''Osbert Sitwell'', Knopf, 1999,


External links

*
Osbert Sitwell Collection
at the
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...
* *Works b
Osbert Sitwell
at
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sitwell, Osbert 1892 births 1969 deaths 20th-century English essayists 20th-century English short story writers 20th-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English memoirists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English poets Writers from the City of Westminster Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of World War I English expatriates in Italy English gay writers Grenadier Guards officers People educated at Eton College People educated at Ludgrove School Writers from Scarborough, North Yorkshire English LGBTQ poets English LGBTQ novelists LGBTQ memoirists LGBTQ people from Yorkshire Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates English LGBTQ politicians Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry officers English male poets English male novelists
Osbert Osbert is a male Germanic given name and a surname, composed of the elements '' ans/os'' "god", and ''berht'' "bright". It may refer to: Given name Pre-modern era *Osbert or Osberht of Northumbria (died 867), King of Northumbria *Osbert or ...
English male non-fiction writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour