{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} '''Vivien Noakes''' (née Langley; 16 February 1937 &ndash; 17 February 2011)<ref name=Guardian/> 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== She was born Vivien Mary Langley, daughter of aeronautical engineer Marcus Langley<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/8377107/Vivien-Noakes.html ''The Telegraph'' obituary], 11 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.warpoets.org/news/vivien_noakes_obit.htm Vivien Noakes obituary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929032647/http://www.warpoets.org/news/vivien_noakes_obit.htm |date=29 September 2011 }}, warpoets.org; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref>

==Career== 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]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/vivien-noakes-056zw9jb059 | title=Vivien Noakes }}</ref><ref>[http://patricianugee.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60:the-world-renowned-edward-lear-expert-dr-vivien-noakes-visits-albania-for-the-first-time-on-30th-of-april&catid=35:activities&Itemid=57 Profile]; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.watsonlittle.com/client/vivien-noakes-estate | title=Vivien Noakes (Estate) }}</ref><ref>[http://www.sciencelive.org/component/option,com_mediadb/task,view/idstr,OX-tag_2008_05_06_170333_124_oucs_ww1_podcasts/Itemid,26 Cambridge Science Live]{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref>

==Personal life== 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.<ref name=Guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/04/vivien-noakes-obituary Obituary], ''The Guardian'', 4 March 2011; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref>

She died of cancer the day after her 74th birthday, a month after suffering a stroke.<ref>[http://nonsenselit.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/vivien-is-no-longer-with-us Notice of the death of Vivien Noakes], nonsenselit.wordpress.com; accessed 10 April 2014.</ref> She left copies of many of Lear's letters to [[Somerville College Library]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/library-it/special-collections/special-collections/|website=some.ox.ac.uk|title=Special Collections|access-date=28 August 2018}}</ref>

==Works== *''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).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/04/vivien-noakes-obituary|title=Vivien Noakes obituary|author=Charles Lewsen|date=4 March 2011|website=The Guardian|access-date=15 June 2018}}</ref> {{ISBN|978-0750945219}}

==Links== * [http://www.michael-noakes.co.uk/vivien.htm Michael and Vivien Noakes' website]; accessed 10 April 2014.

==References== {{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Noakes, Vivien}} [[Category:1937 births]] [[Category:2011 deaths]] [[Category:English biographers]] [[Category:British women biographers]] [[Category:English literary critics]] [[Category:British women literary critics]] [[Category:Alumni of Harris Manchester College, Oxford]] [[Category:Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford]] [[Category:Harvard University staff]] [[Category:Yale University staff]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]] [[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]] [[Category:People educated at Dunottar School for Girls]]