Yale University Archives Acquires the Papers of Vita Sackville-West

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University has acquired the papers of Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson, both prominent English literary figures of the early twentieth century

Sackville-West (1892-1962) was best known for her poetry, novels, and gardening books. She was a two-time winner of the Hawthornden Prize in poetry. Her papers include drafts of lectures and articles, an early manuscript of her 1942 novel Grand Canyon, correspondence with family members and lovers, diaries, and gardening journals. The Beinecke Library holds another collection of papers documenting Sackville-West’s romantic relationship with novelist Violet Trefusis.

A 1973 biography of the couple, Portrait of a Marriage, was written by their son Nigel Nicolson.