I've long been an admirer of Dame Edith Sitwell. You could call her poetry―sometimes breathless and sometimes meditative―eccentric. You could call it visionary. It carves out its own space in an enviable way. The poem cycle Façade is an early work, very colorful.
Apparently there was, at some point, a full jazz adaptation with vocalists Annie Ross and Cleo Laine. Ross, a lyricist as well as a singer, is someone else I love. How do I feel about this project? Not sure. Merits more investigation.
Apparently there was, at some point, a full jazz adaptation with vocalists Annie Ross and Cleo Laine. Ross, a lyricist as well as a singer, is someone else I love. How do I feel about this project? Not sure. Merits more investigation.
2 comments:
She and her brothers all did very well despite their bizarre parents. I liked the story about her standing behind the curtain shouting out lines of poetry while the orchestra played random sea chanties (saying the reason she stayed hidden was because an old lady was threatening to beat her with an umbrella).
Dame Edith was certainly unique and.. oddly enough, I happened upon an article about Tilda Swinton being her cousin. That explains a few things about the actress.
The Sitwells were an aristocratic family, and sometimes that can have notable downsides for a child growing up. Their father seems to have been difficult, to say the least. She and her brothers did well as adults, though, and she was brilliant.
I didn't know about her and Tilda Swinton being cousins. It makes a kind of sense. I've seen an old filmed, maybe television interview with Sitwell mentioning that she had befriended Marilyn Monroe. To which I say good for both of them!
Post a Comment