MISS VIVIEN LIVED ONLY 32 YEARS AND HER COLLECTED VERSE RUNS TO 12 VOLUMES, A REMARKABLE QUANTITY FOR SO SHORT A LIFE. BESIDES FOETRY SHE PUBLISHED A NOVEL, TWO COLLECTIONS OF PROSE POEMS (FREE VERSE), A BOOK OF TALES AND SEVERAL ESSAYS. THESE PROSE WORKS ARE OF INTEREST PRIMARILY FOR THEIR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA AS THEY ARE INFERIOR TO HER PCETRY. IN AN EFFORT TO RECAPTURE THE GOLDEN AGE OF GREECE SHE PURCHASED A VILLA AT MYTILENE (LESBOS) AND SPENT PART OF EACH YEAR THERE,

MISS VIVIEN'S POETRY TELLS IN PERFECT CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE THE STORIES OF HER THREE LOVE AFFAIRS (ALL WOMEN) AND CF THE CRUELTY OF THE BIASED CIVILIZATION WHICH CONDEMNS SUCH BEAUTIFUL LOVE. ALWAYS DELICATE, SHE DIED OF EXHAUSTION AND FASTING AT PARIS IN 1909.

IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY TRAGIC THAT SO FINE AN ARTIST DIED AT 32 BUT EVEN MORE TRAGIC THAT NONE OF HER POETRY (NOR INDEED ANY OF HER WORK) HAS EVER BEEN TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH. IT IS IRONIC, TOO, IN THAT HER NATIVE TONGUE WAS ENGLISH. PERHAPS SHE KNEW NO ENGLISH CENSOR WOULD ALLOW HER TO WRITE AND PUBLISH IN PEACE. THOUGH A GOOD DEAL OF CRITICISM AND BIOGRAPHICAL COMMENT HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT HER LIFE AND WORK IN FRENCH, LITTLE HAS APPEARED IN THIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT DOUBT A QUALIFIED PERSON OUGHT TO TRANSLATE HER WORK INTO ENGLISH THAT WE ALL MIGHT SHARE THE BEAUTY OF HER WORDS.

A NUMBER OF YEARS AFTER MISS VIVIEN'S DEATH THE DISTINGUISHED CRITIC, SALOMAN REINACH, IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST, WROTE A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO HER WORK: "|COULD QUOTE FROM HER VOLUMES AT LEAST TWO HUNDRED VERSES WHICH RANK AMONG THE FINEST SPECIMENS OF FRENCH POETRY. HER GENIUS FOR GENIUS SHE HAD IS THE

MORE EXTRAORDINARY AS SHE WROTE IN A LANGUAGE NOT HER OWN. I FEEL SURE SHE WILL BE FAMOUS ONE DAY, AND THINK IT DESIRABLE THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER BEFORE IT GETS TOO LATE"

"HERESY IS BY NO MEANS ALWAYS RIGHT

BUT HERESY HAS BEEN THE

GROWING POINT OF SOCIETY; SOCIETY USES FORCE TO CHECK DISSENT AT ITS PERIL. EVERY GREAT RELIGION AND THE WHOLE BODY OF SCIENCE BEGAN WITH A CHALLENGE TO ACCEPTED TRADITIONS."

NORMAN THOMAS