Stella Gibbons - Final Years

Final Years

After 1972 Stella Gibbons published no further work. In the years up to her death in 1989 she wrote two unpublished novels, The Yellow Houses and An Alpha. The death of her husband in 1959 had gradually brought her to withdraw from the public sphere and concentrate on her grandchildren.

Gibbons died in December 1989, in London. She was buried in Highgate Cemetery next to her husband Allan. Her nephew, Reggie Oliver, read two of Stella's poems, 'The Bel' and 'Fairford Church', at the funeral. Only a smattering of friends and family attended.

At the time of her death, The Observer commented "It ought not to be forgotten that Miss Gibbons is a poet as well as a novelist... She handles sky, bare trees, and rough fields with the same quiet subtlety as people. She sees idiosyncrasy in nature and humanity, and makes both live".

Since her death, Stella Gibbons’ reputation has continued to rest on Cold Comfort Farm, although her other work continues to have a small circle of admirers. In 2009 Nightingale Wood was republished by Virago, with an introduction by Sophie Dahl. Reggie Oliver, in his biography of his famous Aunt, particularly puts the case for Nightingale Wood, The Bachelor, Westwood, and Starlight. Ticky also has its fans.