Portrait of a Marriage
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Nigel Nicolson |
| Products | Biography |
Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson is a 1973 biography detailing the life of writer and horticulturist Vita Sackville-West, assembled by her son Nigel Nicolson through an examination of her personal journals and correspondence.
Synopsis
This work delves into the intricate relationship between Sackville-West and her spouse, writer and political figure Harold Nicolson. Two chapters, authored by Sackville-West herself, concentrate on her intense affection for Violet Trefusis, whom she left her bisexual husband Harold and their two sons, Nigel and Ben, to be with.
Nigel Nicolson contributes three chapters that uncover his mother's concealed emotional and sexual experiences: "I was unfamiliar with Violet... I failed to perceive in her the powerful force that captivated my mother […]. I had no idea Vita could love so profoundly... Now that I understand everything, my admiration for her has grown, as it did for my father, because she was vulnerable, because she was defiant. She challenged societal norms by insisting on the freedom to love both men and women, refusing the exclusivity marriage traditionally demands... She was willing to sacrifice all for this cause. Indeed, she may have seemed irrational... yet it was a splendid act of courage."
While Sackville-West primarily reflects on her feelings, Nicolson sheds light on the enduring affection between Vita and Harold, which persisted despite their individual affairs—including Vita's liaison with Virginia Woolf and Harold's relationships with men. Nicolson underscores their progressive views on marriage and sexuality during the early twentieth century, alongside Vita's pronounced elitism toward lower social strata.
Film and television adaptations
- The 1990 television adaptation of Portrait of a Marriage, scripted by Penelope Mortimer for the BBC and featuring Janet McTeer, was also broadcast on PBS in 1991.