Overview
Harold Nicolson is one of the three great political diarists of the 20th century. Nicolson was an MP who attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He never achieved high office, but rarely a day went by when he didn't record what was going on at Westminster. He socialized widely, was married to the poet and author Vita Sackville-West, and together they created the famous garden at Sissinghurst. The diversity of Harold Nicolson's interests and the irony in his writing make his diary a highly entertaining record of his life and times, as well as a document of great historical value.
Synopsis
Harold Nicolson was a man of extraordinary talents: diplomat, politician, historian, biographer, novelist, diarist, critic, essayist, journalist, gardener. These diaries, edited by his son Nigel Nicolson, are a fascinating record of his life and times.
Harold Nicolson was one of the great political diarists of the 20th century. Married to writer Vita Sackville-West, he led an active life in diplomacy, politics, and literature, coming to be on close terms with many of the leading figures of his day. His acute powers of observation render fascinating portraits of Oswald Mosley, Winston Churchill, and Charles de Gaulle, to name but a few, and his well-informed views on key events offer a privileged perspective on a tumultuous age. Nigel Nicolson is best known for his now-classic biography of his parents, Portrait of a Marriage.