Esthen|British author A.S. Byatt, best known for award-winning 'Possession,' dies at 87

2025-05-06 13:06:20source:Winning Exchangecategory:Finance

LONDON — Author A.S. Byatt,Esthen whose books include the Booker Prize-winning novel "Possession," has died at the age of 87.

Byatt's publisher, Chatto & Windus, said Friday that the author died "peacefully at home surrounded by close family."

Byatt wrote two dozen books, starting with her first novel, "The Shadow of the Sun" in 1964.

"Possession," published in 1990, follows two modern-day academics investigating the lives of a pair of Victorian poets. It won the prestigious Booker Prize that year and was adapted as a 2002 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Her other books include four novels exploring Britain in the 1950s and 60s, known as the Frederica Quartet — "The Virgin in the Garden," "Still Life," "Babel Tower" and "A Whistling Woman" — and "The Children’s Book" (2009). A book of short stories, "Medusa's Ankles," was published in 2021.

Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist

Story continues after the video.

Clara Farmer, Byatt's publisher at Chatto & Windus, said the author's books — translated into 38 languages — were "the most wonderful jewel-boxes of stories and ideas."

"We mourn her loss but it's a comfort to know that her penetrating works will dazzle, shine and refract in the minds of readers for generations to come," Farmer said.

More:Finance

Recommend

More than 50 House Democrats demand answers after whistleblower report on DOGE

Over fifty Democratic lawmakers have signed a letter demanding answers from senior U.S. government o

This And Just Like That Star Also Just Learned About Kim Cattrall's Season 2 Cameo

At least one And Just Like That star was just as surprised by news of Kim Cattrall's upcoming in-per

With Only a Week Left in Trump’s Presidency, a Last-Ditch Effort to Block Climate Action and Deny the Science

President Donald Trump’s appointees took their final shots at staving off future climate action this