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

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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

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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

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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.[1]

She died of cancer the day after her 74th birthday, a month after suffering a stroke.[8] She left copies of many of Lear's letters to Somerville College Library.[9]

Works

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  • 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).[10] ISBN 978-0750945219
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References

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  1. ^ a b Obituary, The Guardian, 4 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.
  2. ^ The Telegraph obituary, 11 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.
  3. ^ Vivien Noakes obituary, warpoets.org; accessed 10 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Vivien Noakes".
  5. ^ Profile; accessed 10 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Vivien Noakes (Estate)".
  7. ^ Cambridge Science Live; accessed 10 April 2014.
  8. ^ Notice of the death of Vivien Noakes, nonsenselit.wordpress.com; accessed 10 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Special Collections". some.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  10. ^ Charles Lewsen (4 March 2011). "Vivien Noakes obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2018.