Vivien Chartres was born in Turin, Italy, the daughter of Anglo-Irish lawyer, journalist, and Sinn Féin activist John Smith Chartres (1862–1927), and English-born Italian writer Annie Vivanti (1866–1942); her mother was the niece of German writers Paul Lindau and Rudolf Lindau.

[1] Vivien Chartres began playing the violin as a girl, and was taken to Prague to study with Otakar Ševčík when she was ten years old.

[3] "To hear this small dot attack the G minor concerto by Bruch and the Moïse fantasie was something of a revelation," commented one reviewer.

[12] In 1907, a diary appeared in The Pall Mall Magazine under Vivien's name, describing her pets, her music, and her everyday activities.

[19] Vivien Chartres Young died in Hove, in 1941, by suicide, along with her husband; his failing health led her to write, "I cannot go on...We shall go together, quietly and peacefully."