I'll Stand By You

These letters tell the story of an enduring love affair between two extraordinary women: the great short story writer, novelist, and poet Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893-1978) and the poet Valentine Ackland (1906-1969). During their life together, from 1930 to 1969, they regularly wrote to each other, not just when they were apart, but also when together. The letters evoke literary friendships, vivid vignettes of daily life, gardening, music and art, books and politics. Set against the background of some of this century's most turbulent decades, they also touch on their involvement with the Spanish Civil War, communism, and the Second World War. After Valentine's death from breast cancer, Sylvia lovingly collected and ordered the letters, adding her own notes and writing a poignant linking narrative. This is certainly one of the most detailed, beautifully written personal accounts of a lesbian relationship this century.