Sarah Watling - Noble Savages: The Olivier Sisters

Sarah Watling was the 2016 winner of the Tony Lothian Prize. She holds a degree in history from the University of Cambridge and a masters degree in historical research from the University of London. Noble Savages is her first book.

For Sara Willis And for Julian Walton

Images:

Sisters in tree, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Margaret Olivier, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Sydney in Antigua, 1895, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Daphne, Margery, Brynhild, Noel, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

The cast of The Usurping Baron, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

The Oliviers in Kingston, Jamaica, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Photograph of Margery, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Photograph of Brynhild, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Photographs of Daphne and Noel, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Rupert Brooke in 1913 National Portrait Gallery, London

A Fabian summer school, Kings College Library, Cambridge. RCB/Ph/61

Margery at Newnham, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Suffrage parade, c. 1908, Womens Library, LSE / Flickr

Noel, Margery and Evelyn Radford at Bank, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Noel as seen by Noel, 1909, Bodleian Library

Brynhild and Sydney with guests, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Daphne with a polo team, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

A skiing party in 1908, Kings College Library, Cambridge. RCB/Ph/625

Margery, probably in Kings House, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

The sisters with Sydney at a picnic, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Brynhild as Helen of Troy, Kings College Library, Cambridge. RCB/Ph/58

Noel at Bucklers Hard, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Noel, Maitland Radford, Virginia Woolf and Rupert at Clifford Bridge National Portrait Gallery, London

Daphne with Geoffrey Keynes at Clifford Bridge, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Ka Cox beside Rupert at Clifford Bridge, Kings College Library, Cambridge. RCB/Ph/155

Brynhild and Margery climbing, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

The Coronation Procession, 1911, Womens Library, LSE / Flickr

Margery, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Hugh diving, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Noel at camp, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Noel cutting James Stracheys hair, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Brynhild and Tony at camp, 1914, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Ferenc Bkssy, Wikimedia Commons

Bunny, Hugh and Frankie Birrell with three Oliviers, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Bunny and Daphne in 1914, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Brynhild and Tony in Lyme Regis, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Hugh, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Margery and Brynhild in Tatsfield, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Noel, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Hugh with the children in Draycott Fitzpayne, 1919, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Raymond Sherrard, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

The Hanbury Gardens, authors own

Andy at La Mortola Inferiore, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Arthur Richards (third from left) with colleagues, from the Harris / Richards Papers

Noel (standing) with colleagues, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Rudolf Steiner in 1916 akg-images

Brynhild with baby, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

St Andrews Popperfoto / Getty Images

Cecil with the children, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Noel with Benedict, from the Harris / Richards Papers

James and Alix Strachey in the mid 1930s National Portrait Gallery, London

Daphne, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Noel and Ginny with Virginia Woolf, Houghton Library, Harvard University. MS Thr 562 (0184)

Noel with her daughters, from the Harris / Richards Papers, used by permission of the heirs of Angela Harris

Daphne with Laurence, Sylvia and Mark, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Sydney looking perplexed by a grandchild, used by permission of Laurence Harwood, OBE

Noel and Arthur birdwatching, used by permission of Julia Rendall

Noel at Tazzas wedding, used by permission of Julia Rendall

Noel tending to a vine at Nunnington, used by permission of Julia Rendall

The sisters in Cornwall in 1914, used by permission of the heirs of Anne Olivier Bell

Quotations: The excerpts from Rupert Brookes letters are reproduced by permission of Andrew Motion; James Stracheys letters by permission of The Society of Authors as agent to the Strachey Trust; Christopher Hassalls letters by permission of David Higham Associates. The quotations from The Letters of Virginia Woolf: The Flight of the Mind, 18881912 Volume 1 by Virginia Woolf edited by Nigel Nicolson published by Chatto & Windus are reproduced by permission of The Random House Group Ltd. 1975; The Letters of Virginia Woolf: The Question of Things Happening, 19121922 Volume 2 by Virginia Woolf edited by Nigel Nicolson published by Chatto & Windus by permission of The Random House Group Ltd. 1976. The quotations from Owen Barfield are reproduced by permission of the Owen Barfield Literary Estate. The excerpts from H. G. Wellss letters are reproduced by permission of AP Watt at United Agents LLP on behalf of The Literary Executors of the Estate of H. G. Wells; C. S. Lewiss All My Road Before Me CS Lewis Pte Ltd 1991.

PRAISE FOR NOBLE SAVAGES

The best group biography of the year of many years, in fact is Sarah Watlings Noble Savages, the story of the four Olivier sisters Their aunt was the model for Tess of the DUrbevilles, their joint best friend was Rupert Brooke, and they had, said Virginia Woolf, strange glass eyes which they took out at night. But this is not why they are interesting. After feral childhoods in Surrey, where their parents lived in a Fabian utopia, each woman struggled with postwar realities: insanity, grief, poverty, catastrophic marriages. Elegantly structured in seven fragments, Watlings book gives us a riveting drama that begins as pastoral comedy and ends as tragedy