The Shell Signed And Dated By Dorothy Wellesley

Author: Dorothy Wellesley
Price: £125
Publication Date: Not dated
Format: Folded A4 card
Condition: Wear and creasing with a short closed tear to the fore-edge. Good.

Description:

Lithographic cover illustration. A rare poem signed and dated by Dorothy Wellesley beneath her printed name. No copies found institutionally in the UK. Very scarce.

Location: Book Room: Folder: L001

Dorothy Wellesley: A Short Biography

Dorothy Wellesley (1889–1956) was a British poet, writer, and aristocrat, known for her contributions to English literature and her close associations with literary figures such as W. B. Yeats and Vita Sackville-West. She was the Duchess of Wellington through her marriage but is more recognised for her poetic work and involvement in the literary world of the early 20th century.

Key Aspects of Dorothy Wellesley’s Life and Work:

1. Early Life and Marriage:

• Dorothy Violet Ashton was born into a wealthy family in 1899, the daughter of Robert Ashton, a financier, and his wife Violet.
• In 1914, she married Lord Gerald Wellesley, who would later become the 7th Duke of Wellington. Despite their aristocratic status, the marriage was unhappy, and they separated in 1922. The couple had two children, and after their separation, Dorothy lived largely independently of her husband, focusing on her writing.

2. Literary Career:

• Dorothy Wellesley was a poet of distinction, publishing several volumes of poetry in her lifetime. Her early work, such as “Lyrics and Elegies” (1913) and “The Poems of Dorothy Wellesley” (1940), was well received for its lyrical quality and emotional depth.
• W. B. Yeats, the famous Irish poet, admired her work greatly and included her poems in his influential anthology The Oxford Book of Modern Verse. He also wrote a poem dedicated to her, titled “To Dorothy Wellesley”, and their correspondence reflects a close intellectual friendship. Yeats saw her as a talented poet with a mystical, almost spiritual quality in her writing.

3. Relationships and Influence:

• Dorothy Wellesley had a complex personal life and was known for her relationships with women, including the writer Vita Sackville-West, with whom she had a romantic and intellectual relationship. Their correspondence is an important record of early 20th-century literary and aristocratic life.
• She maintained friendships with several other notable literary figures of the time, including T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden, contributing to the literary culture of the era.

4. Editorial Work:

• In addition to her poetry, Wellesley was an influential editor. She edited the literary magazine “The Hogarth Letters”, which featured contributions from major writers of the time. Her work as an editor gave her significant standing within literary circles, further cementing her position as a literary figure.

5. Later Life and Legacy:

• Later in life, Dorothy Wellesley became reclusive, retreating to Penns-in-the-Rocks, her estate in Sussex, where she continued to write and focus on poetry.
• She passed away in 1956, leaving behind a body of work that, though not as widely known today, was highly regarded by her contemporaries. Her close relationship with W. B. Yeats, in particular, has been the subject of scholarly interest, and her poetry is noted for its emotional sensitivity and lyrical craftsmanship.

Themes in Her Poetry:

Wellesley’s poetry often reflected themes of nature, spirituality, and personal emotion. Her work, though not always recognised in the mainstream of English poetry, carried a distinctive voice marked by introspective depth and a connection to the natural world. The mystical and often melancholic tone in her poems resonated with Yeats, who was drawn to her work’s spiritual undertones.

Legacy:

Dorothy Wellesley’s contribution to English poetry and her influence as an editor and patron of the arts make her a significant, though somewhat overlooked, figure in early 20th-century literature. Her friendships and collaborations with key literary figures of the time, along with her own poetic output, ensure that she remains an interesting subject for those studying the period.

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