Barbara Skelton

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Barbara Skelton (January 29, 1916 - January 27, 1996) was an English memoirist, novelist and socialite. The daughter of an army officer, she spent some of her early years in India. Her good looks allowed her to work as a model for several years. Later years found her in Yugoslavia, Egypt and back in England. 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). Her works are marked by a savage wit and gift for detail. She wed prominent critic Cyril Connolly in 1950. Their marriage 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 newspaper heir, was brief. She also had an affair with King Farouk of Egypt. 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. She died in Worcestershire of a brain tumor at age 79.