In 2007 Nigel Hamilton was commissioned to write a modern version of the famous history of the first great emperors of Rome, The Twelve Ceasars, by Suetonius. The new book will record the lives of the last twelve presidents of the United States, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush. The book will be completed in 2009, and will be called American Caesars. This blog records will record aspects of its genesis and preparation, for those who are interested.
Nigel Hamilton is a distinguished biographer, whose books have been translated into sixteen languages. In Britain he has won the Whitbread Prize for Biography, and the Templer Medal for Military History, and in the U.S. the New York Blue Ribbon Award for Documentary. His works include "The Brothers Mann," a biography of the German novelists Heinrich and Thomas Mann; "Monty," the official three-volume life of World War II general, Montgomery of Alamein, who commanded the British and American armies at D-Day; "JFK: Reckless Youth," a NYT best-selling biography of the young John F. Kennedy, (afterwards made into an ABC Television mini-series starring Patrick Dempsey), as well as his most recent "Bill Clinton: An American Journey" and "Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency," the first two volumes of a trilogy recording the life of President Bill Clinton.
Nigel's’s history of life writing and life depiction, "Biography: A Brief History," was published by Harvard University Press, and a sequel, "How To Do Biography: A Primer," has just appeared.