Lisa Hilton (writer)

Personal life

Lisa Hilton studied English at Oxford University, then history of art in Florence and Paris. She lives in London.

Athénais: The Real Queen of France

Athénais: The Real Queen of France (2002) is a biography of Louis XIV's mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. A review of this book spuriously draws parallels between her and Camilla Parker-Bowles, the former mistress of Prince Charles.

Mistress Peachum's Pleasure: The Life of Lavinia, Duchess of Bolton

Mistress Peachum's Pleasure (2006) is a biography of the eighteenth-century actress Lavinia Fenton, Duchess of Bolton.

Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens

Queens Consort (2010) charts the extraordinary lives of England's medieval queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York.

The House with Blue Shutters

The House with Blue Shutters (2010) is a novel set in southern France in World War Two and the present day.

The Horror of Love

The Horror of Love (2011) tells the story of famous English novelist and socialite Nancy Mitford's relationship with Gaston Palewski. In contrast to most biographers of Mitford, Hilton believes this relation is crucial to understanding Nancy. The Evening Standard found the style pedestrian but otherwise the book was "well-paced and informative". The Independent praised its charm in bringing Mitford's world to life. The Daily Express found it a good story, despite several minor errors. It was also reviewed by Kirkus Reviews.

Wolves in Winter

Wolves in Winter (2012) is a novel set in late 15th century Italy. The central character, Mura, is sold as a slave aged 5, and eventually finds herself in the Florentine court. Red called it a "richly detailed page-turner" and compared it to Philippa Gregory.

Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince - A Biography

Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince (2014) provides new insights into one of England's greatest monarchs. It uses new research in France, Italy, Russia and Turkey to present a fresh interpretation of Elizabeth as a queen who saw herself primarily as a Renaissance prince, delivering a very different perspective on Elizabeth's emotional and sexual life, and upon her attempts to mould England into a European state. Elizabeth I was not an exceptional woman but an exceptional ruler: Hilton redraws English history with this animated portrait of an astounding life. Her biography maps Elizabeth's dramatic journey from a timid, newly crowned queen to one of England's most successful monarchs. The Independent praised it as 'an impressive balancing act; while eruditely analysing Renaissance ideas and Elizabethan realpolitik it retains all the sexiness we have come to expect from books about the Tudors. ... Hilton is particularly good at describing how Elizabeth created an immediately recognisable image and then presented it through portraits rich in allegory.'

The Stolen Queen

The Stolen Queen (2015) is an historical novel set in 1199 amid the backdrop of the great political struggles of medieval Europe.

Fiction published as L.S. Hilton

As L.S. Hilton, she is the author of psychological thriller Maestra, the first of a trilogy published by Bonnier Zaffre, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and 42 other publishers worldwide in 2016. Sony Pictures acquired the novel's film rights prior to publication: Amy Pascal is scheduled to produce the film through her Pascal Pictures production company, with the screenplay written by Erin Cressida Wilson. In June 2016 Hilton was named as Glamour Magazine's 'Writer of the Year' for Maestra. Domina, the sequel to Maestra, was published in April 2017.

Opera librettist

As an opera libettist, Lisa Hilton has written Love Hurts, with music by Nicola Moro. The opera received its first performance in Milano at the Piccolo Teatro on 25 June 2016, conducted by James Ross, with its US premiere in New York City, at Symphony Space, in October 2016.

Journalism

Hilton has written for The Spectator, The Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, Vogue, Tatler, Elle, The Royal Academy Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Evening Standard, The Observer, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph. She writes a monthly restaurant column for the British cultural and political affairs magazine Standpoint.