The Dark Monarch – Sven Berlin

The Dark Monarch is a roman a clef, a thinly-disguised and irreverent portrait of St Ives and the artists and others, many now world-famous names, who lived and worked there … Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Bernard Leach, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, to name just a few.

This book was withdrawn very quickly after publication due to four libel suits which followed. There are some big names from the Cornish art scene, who are not represented well by Berlin and although it never went to court, the threat ceased the publication of the book.

Although Berlin, created new names for all the characters, it was fairly obvious at time, who was who. And if you’re less familiar there is now a key, that translates most of Berlin’s characters into their real-life personas.