From sappho.com
Excerpt:
Renée Vivien, a turn of the century novelist
and poet who wrote exclusively in French, was born Pauline Mary
Tarn in Paddington, England. She attended school in Paris until
age 9, when her father died. Her mother returned her to England,
much to Pauline's dismay. In an effort to obtain the money left to
Pauline, her mother tried to have her declared insane. The court
declared Pauline their ward and protected her, and once Pauline
reached the age of 21, she moved back to Paris.
Once in Paris, Pauline changed her name to Renée
Vivien to symbolize her rebirth. She also met and became lovers
with Natalie Barney, an American heiress known for her flamboyant
lesbian lifestyle. Renée began publishing her poetry under the
masculine "Renée Vivien", but after publishing a couple
books, she began using "Renée" to indicate her gender.
Renée's poetry and novels show several sources
of inspiration: Natalie Barney, Violet Shilleto, Pierre
Louys, and Sappho.
Natalie inspired retellings of their relationship through prose
and poem. Violet Shilleto, Renée's childhood friend and love who
died in 1901, appears in Renée's work through repeated images of
violets and the color purple. Pierre Louys's sensual "Songs
of Bilitis" and Sappho's evocative poems about women-love
influenced Renée's poetic style. Sappho, in particular, became an
icon for Renée--she translated the work of Sappho into modern
French, and even traveled with Natalie to Lesbos in an attempt to
revive a women's artist colony on the island...
Selected Works include:
