The Man in the Balloon

Valentine Ackland

doi:10.14324/111.444.stw.2020.07

Abstract

This article puts into the public domain for the first time a correspondence between Valentine Ackland and Elizabeth Wade White written in January 1951. The affair between the two women which had begun in 1938 ended in 1950, although they continued to correspond and occasionally meet until Ackland’s death in 1969. The letters were written when both women were struggling to come to terms with the end of their physical and romantic attachment and were deeply unhappy. In the letters each correspondent analyses the history of the relationship and the causes of the fracture between them. The letters and their attachments are remarkable representations of love and guilt, heartache and compassion. Their publication adds to our knowledge of an affair which had repercussions for the lives not only of Ackland and Wade White but also for those of their life partners: Sylvia Townsend Warner and Evelyn Holahan.

Highlights

‘I wouldn’t say that mine has been an uneventful life, really,’ said Miss Gribble
This article puts into the public domain for the first time a correspondence between Valentine Ackland and Elizabeth Wade White written in January 1951
The letters were written when both women were struggling to come to terms with the end of their physical and romantic attachment and were deeply unhappy

Summary

Introduction

‘I wouldn’t say that mine has been an uneventful life, really,’ said Miss Gribble. Her voice was low-pitched and her manner gentle, so the nurse had some excuse for thinking that the remark was made in deprecation, even that it was a pathetic attempt to look on the bright side; and that was something that the nurse could do well herself. Keywords Sylvia Townsend Warner; Valentine Ackland; Elizabeth Wade White; life-writing; letters; gay and lesbian studies. ‘I wouldn’t say that mine has been an uneventful life, really,’ said Miss Gribble.

Results

Conclusion