Osbert Sitwell

Osbert Sitwell was a famous writer.

He loved art and poems.

He lived in a big house. He had a sister and a brother. They all made art together.

Osbert was in the army once. He was in a war in France. He wrote his first poems there.

He wrote many long books. He also wrote about travel. He loved old buildings, too.

Later, he lived in Italy.

He died there in a small town. He was a great writer.

Osbert Sitwell was a famous English writer.

He lived a life full of art. He had a sister named Edith. He also had a brother named Sacheverell. The three of them worked on art together. They were often called "the Sitwells."

Osbert was a soldier in the army. He served in the Great War in France. While he was there, he wrote his first poems. Later, he became a Captain. He also tried to run for politics in 1918. He finished in second place.

He wrote many different things. He wrote poems, stories, and novels. One of his first novels was called "Before the Bombardment." He also wrote about his own life in four books. These are called his autobiographies. A writer named George Orwell said they were very good.

Osbert loved old buildings. He worked hard to save a grand hall called Sutton Scarsdale Hall. He also liked to talk about ghosts. He joined a group called the Ghost Club. Later in life, he moved to Italy.

He died there in a small town. His ashes are buried in Florence.

Osbert Sitwell was a famous English writer who lived a life full of art.

He was born on December 6, 1892, in London. His family was very involved in history and art. His father, Sir George Sitwell, was a genealogist and an antiquarian. Osbert grew up in large family homes like Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire. He had a sister named Edith and a brother named Sacheverell. Together, the three of them were known simply as "the Sitwells." They spent their lives working on poetry and literature together.

Osbert's life changed when he joined the army. He first joined the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry in 1911. Later, he moved to the Grenadier Guards at the Tower of London. In 1914, his life moved from art to the trenches of France. While serving near Ypres in Belgium, he wrote his very first poems. He said that a sudden instinct drove him to write them down. By 1916, he was publishing poems like "Babel" in The Times. He eventually left the army in 1918 with the rank of Captain.

Writing was his true passion throughout his long career. He wrote many different things like poems, short stories, and novels. His first novel, Before the Bombardment, was published in 1926. People praised it for its beauty and its wit. He also wrote a famous book of travel stories called The Four Continents in 1951. Osbert even wrote four volumes about his own life. These books are called his autobiographies. A writer named George Orwell said they were among the best of their time.

Osbert also cared deeply about the world around him. He was a member of the Georgian Group. He campaigned hard to save old buildings like Sutton Scarsdale Hall. He even had an interest in the paranormal. Because of this, he joined the Ghost Club to talk about ghosts. He was also involved in politics. In 1918, he ran for election in Scarborough and Whitby. He ran as a Liberal Party candidate and finished in second place.

In his later years, Osbert moved to Italy. He lived in a place called Montespertoli near Florence. This was a home his father had once restored. He suffered from Parkinson's disease starting in the 1950s. This made it very hard for him to write. He died on May 4, 1969.

His ashes were buried in the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Florence. There, they rest next to a copy of his first novel.

Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell was a prominent English writer of the 20th century. He was born on December 6, 1892, in London. His life was deeply rooted in the worlds of art and literature.

He was part of a famous literary trio known as "the Sitwells." This group included his elder sister, Edith Sitwell, and his younger brother, Sacheverell Sitwell. Together, they dedicated their lives to cultural pursuits. They often worked on literary collaborations and anthologies. Sitwell viewed his work as a series of battles against the "Philistine," a term used to describe people who lack appreciation for art and culture.

Sitwell's early life was shaped by his family's deep connections to history. His father, Sir George Reresby Sitwell, was a fourth baronet, a genealogist, and an antiquarian. Osbert grew up in grand settings like Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire. He attended Ludgrove School and later Eton College from 1906 to 1909. His military service began in 1911 when he joined the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. He later transferred to the Grenadier Guards at the Tower of London. In late 1914, his life shifted from civilian culture to the trenches of France near Ypres, Belgium. It was during this difficult time that he wrote his first poetry. He described this urge to write as a combination of feelings that drove him to paper.

His literary output was incredibly diverse, spanning poetry, fiction, and criticism. He published several collections of poems, including "Argonaut and Juggernaut" in 1919. His first novel, "Before the Bombardment," appeared in 1926 and received high praise. Critics like Ralph Straus called it a nearly flawless piece of satirical writing. Sitwell also experimented with complex narrative techniques. In his 1929 novel, "The Man Who Lost Himself," he attempted to write what he called a "Novel of Reasoned Action." He believed that the adventures of the mind and soul were more interesting than physical actions. This book later found new popularity as an idiosyncratic mystery novel.

Sitwell's influence extended into the world of music and visual arts. He and his brother sponsored a controversial exhibition featuring artists like Picasso and Matisse. He also provided support to the composer William Walton. This patronage helped Walton create the famous cantata "Belshazzar's Feast," which used a libretto written by Sitwell. Beyond the arts, Sitwell was an active member of the Georgian Group. He campaigned to preserve historic Georgian buildings. One of his major successes was saving Sutton Scarsdale Hall, which is now managed by English Heritage. He even explored the paranormal as a member of the Ghost Club.

Politics played a significant role in Sitwell's life, though he was often controversial. In 1918, he ran as the Liberal Party candidate for Scarborough and Whitby, finishing in second place. He used his writing to comment on political events and figures. For example, he wrote a poem in 1919 that satirized Winston Churchill's views on the Russian Civil War. In 1920, he published "Shaking Hands With Murder" to criticize Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. Sitwell also faced legal challenges regarding his political commentary. He wrote a poem titled "Rat Week" regarding the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. Because the poem was considered libellous, it was not published during his lifetime. He successfully sued the magazine "Cavalcade" for breach of copyright during a legal battle over the poem. The full text of "Rat Week" was finally published posthumously in 1986.

In his later years, Sitwell turned his focus toward his own life story. He began an extensive autobiography in 1943 that eventually spanned four volumes. These included "Left Hand, Right Hand!" and "The Scarlet Tree." The writer George Orwell noted that these were among the best autobiographies of their time. Sitwell also wrote essays about the various people he had met, such as in "Noble Essences" in 1950. His career was marked by many honors, including being made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1956. He was also appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1958.

Sitwell spent his final years in Italy at a residence in Montespertoli near Florence. This property had been restored by his father. During the 1950s, he began to suffer from Parkinson's disease. By the mid-1960s, the condition was so severe that he had to stop writing. He died on May 4, 1969.

He was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Florence. His burial site holds a copy of his very first novel, "Before the Bombardment," as a final connection to his life's work.