I Live Under a Black Sun

by Edith Sitwell, Reresby Sitwell (Contributor)

Dame Edith Sitwell, wit, notorious eccentric, and poet, is not normally thought of as a novelist, but her only novel is a true forgotten classic. Garlanded with extravagant praise on its release, it was reprinted several times but fell into neglect and has now been out of print for almost 50 years. Although it takes its inspiration from the life, writings, and correspondence of the great Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, I Live Under a Black Sun is set during and after World War I. The novel follows Jonathan Hare, writer and misogynist, a character very much based on Swift, through his tragic relationships with two women who are likewise based on real people in Swift's life. Luxurious, angular, poetic, and sprinkled with allusions to Swift's most famous works and correspondence, I Live Under a Black Sun is a work that will surely entrance a whole new generation of readers. Highlighting a forgotten classic that has been out of print for nearly half a century, this is a fictionalized biography of Jonathan Swift and his tragic relationships with "Stella" and "Vanessa," updated to a time during and after World War I. Luxurious, angular, and poetic, it is a story unlike any other.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, 20th Century

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell, DBE, was a British poet and critic.

Reviews

[The Master · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times beautifully poetic, at other times excruciatingly slow and verbose. Always weird. Edith Sitwell, ladies and gentlemen.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars. A somewhat strange book, full of repetitive images. Some moments of brilliance. Some, just plain confusing and bizarre.