Sir William

Sir William (1963) was the second entry in David Stacton's triptych of novels on the theme of 'The Sexes', for which he chose to fictionalise one of history's great love affairs. 'David Stacton's novel of the notorious ménage à trois between the fetching Lady Hamilton, her husband Sir William, and her lover, Lord Nelson, is a scintillating piece of historical fiction.' New York World-Telegram 'Stacton's best book... written with epigrammatic wit and grace.' Kirkus Reviews 'A sweeping luxuriant romp through the pre-Trafalgar life of Lady Hamilton. Her Pygmalion rescue from whoredom by the ineffable Charles Greville is wickedly told.' Sunday Times 'Stacton is a magnificent storyteller.' Book Week

David Stacton (1923-1968) was born Lionel Kingsley Evans in San Francisco. He attended Stanford University before serving in the Civilian Public Service as a conscientious objector during World War II, eventually graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1951. Stacton went to Europe after college and ended up staying, in his words, 'because I liked it and because I could not get my books in print in America.' His first novel, Dolores, was published in England in 1954. Among the wide-ranging historical and biographical novels for which he would become best known are Remember Me, about Ludwig of Bavaria; On a Balcony, about Nefertiti and Pharaoh Akhenaten; Segaki, set in feudal Japan; A Signal Victory, about the Spanish conquest of the Yucatán; Old Acquaintance, set at a film festival and telling of the loves of a star resembling Marlene Dietrich; and People of the Book, set during the Thirty Years' War. In 1968 he moved to Fredensborg, Denmark, but ten days later he was found dead in his new home. He was forty-four years old.