Challenge

Challenge was Vita Sackville-West's second novel. It was ready to go to print in 1920, but the author suddenly changed her mind for fear of the scandal it would cause. Vita's love affair with Violet Trefusis had reached its peak and they decided to abandon everything - children and husbands included - to elope to France. They returned to their families eventually, but Challenge remains a testament to their love. The hero, Julian, may be a Byronic young Englishman, and Eve the woman he adores; it may be an adventure tale set on a Greek island. But really, this is a love story, written in the presence of the beloved and inspired by her. And, as its title implies, the novel is a challenge to the society that condemned Vita and her lover-- Back cover.