AS Byatt: British Author, Critic And Poet, Dies Aged 87

Renowned author, best known for her book 'Possession', Dame AS Byatt has died at the age of 87 surrounded by her close family.

Saihaj Kaur Madan

Updated on: 18 November 2023 11:17 am

Renowned Author AS Byatt Has Passed Aged 87

“I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel, I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.” This is how, the acclaimed author of the Booker Prize winning novel ‘Possession’, described herself in an interview with New York Times magazine in 1991. Dame Antonia Susan Byatt, whose career spanned nearly 60 years, found fame and love of many through fiction.

Her publisher Chatto & Windus, part of Penguin Random House, described her as "one of the most significant writers and critics of our time".

"She died peacefully at home surrounded by close family," it said in a statement. "Antonia had a remarkable mind which produced a unique creative vision."

Born on August 24, 1936, in the northern English city of Sheffield, AS Byatt received her education at a Quaker school in nearby York. She pursued further studies at both Cambridge and Oxford before embarking on a career in teaching English and American Literature in London from 1972.

The great AS Byatt has died. She wrote this, inspired by King Lear, about her little boy, who was killed by a drunk driver. I first saw it when my own yellow-haired little boy had cancer. Few writers can reach you when you are feeling unreachable. She was extraordinary. pic.twitter.com/kzsXlLTOUo
— Celia Richardson (@CeliaRichards0n) November 17, 2023

A mother of three daughters, Byatt was struck by tragedy when her only son Charles was killed crossing the road in the week of his 11th birthday.

In 1964, AS Byatt published her debut novel, "Shadow of a Sun," narrating the tale of a young girl navigating the challenges of growing up under the influence of a commanding father. Subsequent works, composed fervently during university breaks, filled her literary portfolio. Byatt made the decision to abandon teaching in 1983, transitioning to a full-time writing career. Her pivotal moment arrived seven years later with the release of "Possession," a bestselling novel that clinched the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction in the same year.

We're deeply saddened to hear that A S Byatt, winner of the 1990 Booker Prize, has died. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/OCR3noB67e
— The Booker Prizes (@TheBookerPrizes) November 17, 2023

Dame Antonia was also known for writing 2009's the Children's Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her most recent publication was a collection of short stories - 2021's Medusa's Ankles: Selected Stories (2021).

"Antonia's Quaker schooling encouraged a clear independence of thought, and throughout her career she had an unerring ability to ask direct and searching questions," Penguin said in their statement.