Book description
As the child of an absent mother and a disapproving father, Charles
Cleasby found comfort in solitary games of chess. Many years later, in
the house where he grew up and now lives alone, he re-enacts the naval
battles of his hero Horatio Nelson, moving model ships as carefully as
he once did chess pieces.
Having long been convinced of a link between 'this great man's life
and mine', Charles, surrounded by his collection of Nelson
memorabilia, begins work on his biography of the Admiral and is
unsettled to find that Nelson may not be the perfect leader he's
always imagined. To doubt his hero's integrity feels like a terrible
betrayal, but if Nelson is not the man Charles thought he was, what
does that mean for him?
Barry Unsworth was born in 1930 in Durham. He was the author of many
novels, including
Pascali's Island
, which was shortlisted for the 1980 Booker Prize;
Stone Virgin
(1985);
Sacred Hunger
, which was joint winner of the 1992 Booker Prize;
Morality Play
, which was shortlisted for the 1995 Booker Prize;
Losing Nelson
(1999);
The Songs of the King
(2002);
The Ruby in Her Navel
(2006);
Land of Marvels
(2009); and
The Quality of Mercy
(2011), which was shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for historical
fiction. Barry Unsworth died in 2012.
