Summary
Vivien Noakes (née Langley; 16 February 1937 – 17 February 2011)[1] was a British biographer, editor and critic, an expert on Edward Lear and the literature of the First World War. She was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Early life and education edit
She was born Vivien Mary Langley, daughter of aeronautical engineer Marcus Langley[2] and educated at Dunottar School, leaving with A-levels. It was not until later in life that she took her degree at Manchester College, Oxford, and Somerville College, Oxford, where she was subsequently lecturer.[3]
Career edit
She lectured at Harvard University and at the Yale Center for British Art. She was a leading authority - per her Times obituary, "the world's leading authority" - on Edward Lear and on the literature of World War I.[4][5][6][7]
Personal life edit
She was married to the painter Michael Noakes, in collaboration with whom she produced The Daily Life of The Queen: An Artist's Diary (2000); the couple had three children.[8]
She died of cancer the day after her 74th birthday, a month after suffering a stroke.[9] Noakes left copies of many of Lear's letters to Somerville College Library.[10]
Works edit
- Edward Lear, The Life of a Wanderer (1968). ISBN 978-0750937443 (2006 ed.)
- Edward Lear, 1812-1888 (1986). ISBN 978-0810912625
- The Painter Edward Lear (1991). ISBN 978-0715397787
- The Daily Life of The Queen: An Artist's Diary (2000) with Michael Noakes. ISBN 978-0091869823
- Voices of Silence (2006).[11] ISBN 978-0750945219
Links edit
- Michael and Vivien Noakes' website; accessed 10 April 2014.
References edit
- ^ Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship
- ^ The Telegraph obituary, 11 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ Vivien Noakes obituary, warpoets.org; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Vivien Noakes".
- ^ Profile; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Vivien Noakes (Estate)".
- ^ Cambridge Science Live; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ Obituary, The Guardian, 4 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ Notice of the death of Vivien Noakes, nonsenselit.wordpress.com; accessed 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Special Collections". some.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ Charles Lewsen (4 March 2011). "Vivien Noakes obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2018.