Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot

Vivienne had many serious health problems, beginning with tuberculosis of the arm as a child,^[1] and the marriage appeared to exacerbate her mental health issues. Husband Eliot would not consider divorce, but formally separated from Vivienne in 1933. She was later committed to an asylum by her brother, against her will, eventually dying there apparently from a heart attack, but possibly by deliberate overdose. When told via a phone call from the asylum that Vivienne had died unexpectedly during the night, Eliot is said to have buried his face in his hands and cried out 'Oh God, oh God.' ^[1]


Both Vivienne and T. S. Eliot stated that Ezra Pound had encouraged Vivienne to marry Eliot as a pretext for the poet to remain in England, where Eliot and Pound believed he would have greater career success, but also against the wishes of his family who wanted him to return to the United States. Neither set of parents were informed of the wedding beforehand.^[1] Vivienne made creative contributions to her husband's work during their 18-year marriage,^[2] but it was a difficult relationship. Both had mental and physical health problems,^[3] and it is often cited as the inspiration for The Waste Land, which remains Eliot's most noted work. He consulted with Vivienne, refusing to release a section of the poem until she had approved it.^[2] Eliot later said: 'To her the marriage brought no happiness ... to me it brought the state of mind out of which came The Waste Land.'^[1] Research into their relationship has been hampered by lack of access to her diaries, the copyright of which was granted to Eliot's widow Valerie Eliot, but surviving letters have been published.^[4]