Peter John Stephens (31 July 1912 in

Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

– 11 June 2002) was a writer of

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

books for teens and three children’s books. He was also a poet, a lyricist for operas and musicals, and a playwright. His play, ''A Power of Dreams'', was produced off-Broadway with

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

of Stiller and Meara starred. He died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, London.

Works

Plays

* ''Hugh of the Glen and his clogs are all one'' The Best One-Act Plays (1951-1952) * ''A Power of Dreams'' Off-Broadway Production

Children’s books

* The Story of Fire Fighting, Harvey House, 1966 * Lillapig, Ernest Benn Limited, 1972 * Faster Than Anything, Ernest Benn Limited, 1974

Teen historical fiction books

* The Outlaw King, Atheneum, 1964 * Perrely Plight, Atheneum, 1965 * Towappu, Atheneum, 1966 * Battle for Destiny, Atheneum, 1967 * Claim to the Wilderness, W. W. Norton & Company, 1967 * The Crime of Jairus Posey, Andre Deutsch, 1969 * The Thief-Takers, W. W. Norton & Company, 1970 * The Shadow over Welesmere Gap, Andre Deutsch, 1971 * The Rogue, George G. Harrap & Co, 1973 * A Shot from a Sling, Andre Deutsch, 1975 Opera Librettos (Composer Jan Meyerowitz) * Simoon, Aug 2 1949 Tanglewood/Mass (from a Strindberg play) * Godfather Death, June 1, 1961 New York; Conducted by

Peter Paul Fuchs Peter Paul Fuchs (October 30, 1916 – March 26, 2007) was an Austrian-born conductor and composer, best known for his conducting appointments with American orchestras and for his teaching. He was also a prolific composer although little of his mu ...

1962

Family

His paternal great-great grandfather, Matthew Stephens, was a successful Welsh

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

near Aberthaw in the Vale of Glamorgan. He was the brother of

Richard Waring Richard Waring (born Richard Waring Stephens; 27 May 1911 – 18 January 1993) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the film ''Mr. Skeffington'' (1944). Biography Richard Waring was born Richard Ste ...

, the US-based actor, and son of Thomas E. Stephens, whose portrait of

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

hangs in the Smithsonian Gallery of Presidents and Evelyn Mary Waring. Retaining his British citizenship, Peter John wrote articles for the British Information Service, Rockefeller Center, New York City. He was briefly married to the novelist,

Henrietta Buckmaster Henrietta Delancey Henkle, (10 March 1909 – 26 April 1983) better known by her pen name Henrietta Buckmaster, was an activist, journalist, and author best known for writing historical studies and novels. She was also active in the civil rights ...

, before Marcia Nichols Holden, a foster daughter of

Harry Sidney Nichols Harry Sidney Nichols (14 August 1865 – 30 November 1941) was an English publisher of erotica. Nichols was born in Wortley, Leeds, Yorkshire, the son of glass merchant William Nichols and his wife, Mary Hartley Nichols. He went into business as ...

, was a poet and editor. Her son from a previous marriage was Anton Holden, Emmy winning sound editor and the author of ''Prince Valium'',

Stein and Day Stein and Day, Inc. was an American publishing company founded by Sol Stein and his wife Patricia Day in 1962. Stein was both the publisher and the editor-in-chief. The firm was based in New York City, and was in business for 27 years, until clos ...

, 1982 and ''Dolly Vardon'', Boustrophedon Press, 2013. They had two children Dylan Stephens and Gillian Stephens, both musicians. Divorced in 1968 and moving to England, he married Eliane Falconi, an opera singer. Her children from a previous marriage were Guy Cremnitz, Monique Cremnitz, Christiane Sasportas, Noelle Sasportas, John Sasportas, Louis Sasportas, Marie Therese Sasportas.They had one child, Dilys Stephens, an artist.

References

* National Library of Wales – Llanmaes College – David Jones MSS, Ms 18507, Book 8, pp 321–323 (Matthew Stephens, smuggler) * The Best One-Act Plays, ed. Margaret Mayorga, New York, Dodd, Mead, 1937-1951/52) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Peter John 1912 births 2002 deaths Deaths from cancer in England Deaths from prostate cancer English children's writers People from Chalfont St Peter English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers