Barbara Skelton
Encyclopedia
Barbara Skelton was an English
memoirist, novelist and socialite.
. Her good looks allowed her to work as a model for several years. Later years found her in Yugoslavia
, Egypt
, the USA, Cuba and back in England. She lived for many years in France before returning to England where she died in 1996.
in 1950, a marriage which ended in 1956. She married George Weidenfeld
, a publisher, the same year; that marriage ended in 1961. Her final marriage in 1966 to Derek Jackson
, a nuclear physicist, was brief. She also had many affairs with, among others, King Farouk of Egypt
, Peter Quennell
, Feliks Topolski
, Charles Addams
, Bernard Frank, John Sutro, and Alan Ross
.
Novelist Anthony Powell
used her as the basis for Pamela Flitton, a character in his novel sequence a Dance to the Music of Time
. Powell also wrote a critical essay on Skelton, included in the collection Miscellaneous Verdicts.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
memoirist, novelist and socialite.
Background
The daughter of an army officer, she spent some of her early years in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Her good looks allowed her to work as a model for several years. Later years found her in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the USA, Cuba and back in England. She lived for many years in France before returning to England where she died in 1996.
Writings
Her works include a volume of short stories, 1966's Born Losers, two volumes of memoirs, 1987's Tears Before Bedtime and 1989's Weep No More, as well as two novels, a Young Girl's Touch (1956) and A Love Match (1969).Personal life
She wed prominent critic Cyril ConnollyCyril Connolly
Cyril Vernon Connolly was an English intellectual, literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizon and wrote Enemies of Promise , which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of...
in 1950, a marriage which ended in 1956. She married George Weidenfeld
George Weidenfeld
Arthur George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld, GBE is a British publisher, philanthropist, and newspaper columnist. He was born in Vienna, Austria.Weidenfeld attended the University of Vienna and the city's Diplomatic College...
, a publisher, the same year; that marriage ended in 1961. Her final marriage in 1966 to Derek Jackson
Derek Jackson (physicist)
Professor Derek Ainslie Jackson, FRS, DFC, AFC, OBE was a spectroscopist.Derek Jackson was one of the outstanding atomic physicists of his generation, but there was very little in his life that could be called conventional....
, a nuclear physicist, was brief. She also had many affairs with, among others, King Farouk of Egypt
Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
, Peter Quennell
Peter Quennell
Sir Peter Courtney Quennell CBE was an English biographer, literary historian, editor, essayist, poet, and critic....
, Feliks Topolski
Feliks Topolski
Feliks Topolski RA was a Polish-born British expressionist painter and draughtsman.- Life :Felix Topolski was born on 14 August 1907 in Warsaw...
, Charles Addams
Charles Addams
Charles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
, Bernard Frank, John Sutro, and Alan Ross
Alan Ross
Alan John Ross, , was a British poet, writer and editor. He was born in Calcutta, India, where he spent the first seven years of his life...
.
Novelist Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
used her as the basis for Pamela Flitton, a character in his novel sequence a Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, it was published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim...
. Powell also wrote a critical essay on Skelton, included in the collection Miscellaneous Verdicts.
Source
- Powell, AnthonyAnthony PowellAnthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
. Miscellaneous Verdicts: Writings on Writers, 1946-1989. University of Chicago Press, 1992. ISBN 0226677109 - Skelton, Barbara. Tears Before Bedtime London: Hamish Hamilton, 1987
- Skelton, Barbara. Weep No More London: Hamish Hamilton, 1989
- Lewis, Jeremy Cyril Connolly London; Jonathan Cape, 1997
- Lewis, Jeremy Grub Street Irregular London: Harper Press, 2008