Viola Gerard Garvin (1 January 1898 – January 1969) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

poet and literary editor at ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

''.

Life and career

Viola Garvin was born at Benwell on 1 January 1898, the eldest daughter of

J. L. Garvin James Louis Garvin CH (12 April 1868 – 23 January 1947) was a British journalist, editor, and author. In 1908, Garvin agreed to take over the editorship of the Sunday newspaper ''The Observer'', revolutionising Sunday journalism and restori ...

, later the long-time editor of ''The Observer''; her older brother Gerard was killed in the First World War. She was named for

Francis Thompson Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and Catholic mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer a ...

's "The Making of Viola" and for Viola Meynell, the subject of the poem. She was educated at

South Hampstead High School ) , established = as St. Johns Wood School , closed = , type = Independent day school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head ...

and at Somerville College, Oxford,

Constance Savery Constance Winifred Savery (31 October 1897 – 2 March 1999) was a British writer of fifty novels and children's books, as well as many short stories and articles. She was selected for the initial issue of the long-running series entitled ' ...

, "Work Diary. 2nd-4th February 1969". Manuscript collection, Knight Library,

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. Savery remembered Garvin's "dark haunting eyes" and recalled that "she shone like a planet at Somerville. No glitter, just 'the soft journey that a planet goes'". and then became assistant literary editor at ''The Observer'' in 1926; she later became literary editor, but was let go when her father's contract was not renewed in 1942. She also worked as a translator from the French: for example in 1930 of Jacques Chardonne's ''Eva'' and after leaving ''The Observer'', of

Romain Gary Romain Gary (; 2 December 1980), born Roman Kacew (, and also known by the pen name Émile Ajar), was a French novelist, diplomat, film director, and World War II aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt under two names. He i ...

's ''Forest of Anger'' (1944),

Rémy Rémy (; pcd, R’my) is a commune in the department of Pas-de-Calais in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Rémy lies in the valley of the river Sensée, some southeast of Arras, on the D9 road. Population Places of interes ...

's ''The Messenger'' (1954) and Constantin de Grunwald's ''Peter the Great'' (1956). In the 1920s and 1930s, she repeatedly went into debt. In the early 1930s she was in a relationship with Humbert Wolfe, a poet who also reviewed for ''The Observer'', but he was married. She died in January 1969, aged 71.

Publications

Garvin published one volume of poetry, ''Dedication'' (1928), and many translations from the French, from ''The Life of Solomon'' (1929) by Edmond Fleg, to ''The Schooner'' (1959) by Freddy Drilhon. She assisted in the preparation for Alfred M. Gollin's ''The Observer and J.L. Garvin, 1908-1914: A Study in Great Editorship'' (1960).Douglas A. Anderson, Lesser-Known Writers

Legacy

Robert E. Howard paraphrased a part from Viola Garvin's poem ''The House of Cæsar'' for his suicide note.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garvin, Viola 1898 births 1969 deaths English women poets English journalists The Observer people People educated at South Hampstead High School First women admitted to degrees at Oxford Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford 20th-century English poets 20th-century English women writers English women non-fiction writers 20th-century British journalists English women journalists