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Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91
Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE has died aged 91, her publisher has confirmed.
The British-born writer died at her home in New York yesterday (24th November) following a short illness, HarperCollins has said, “and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end”.
The journalist-turned-author had a colourful career: leaving school and then becoming the Yorkshire Evening Post’s first woman’s editor as a teenager and before writing 40 novels, all of which became worldwide bestsellers.
“Born and raised in Leeds, Barbara started writing fiction when she was just seven years old and sold her first short story to a magazine for seven shillings and sixpence when she was 10 years old,” HarperCollins said.
Taylor Bradford then embarked in a career in journalism. “She left school aged 15 for the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post,” the publisher said. “A year later, she became a reporter on the paper and, aged 18, its first woman’s editor. Aged 20, she moved to London and became a columnist and editor on Fleet Street. In 1961, she met and fell in love with Hollywood film and television producer Robert Bradford. They were married in London on Christmas Eve, 1963, moved to New York in 1964, and remained together for 55 years until her beloved Bob died in July 2019.”
The publisher added: “Described as ‘the grand dame of blockbusters’, ‘Queen of the genre’, Barbara’s novels made her one of the most successful fiction writers in the world.
“A prolific writer, Barbara published her iconic debut novel, A Woman of Substance, in 1979. It went from bestseller to super seller within its first year and stayed on the New York Times’ list for 43 weeks.
“Her most recent, The Wonder of It All, was published in the UK and Commonwealth by HarperCollins (November 2023), and in the US by St Martin’s Press (December 2023).”
Her work has now been published in more than 40 languages and in 90 countries. Ten of her books have been made into TV films or drama series by her husband.
One of the most notable was the TV adaptation of A Woman of Substance starring Jenny Seagrove and Liam Neeson, which became a global hit and secured two Emmy awards nominations. When it premiered on Channel 4 in the UK in 1985, it attracted 13.8 million viewers, setting a record for the channel with its highest-ever audience, HarperCollins said.
During her career, the writer received five Honorary Doctorates of Letters from several institutions including the University of Leeds, Yorkshire; the University of Bradford, Yorkshire; Teikyo Post University, Connecticut; Siena College, Loudonville, New York; and Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York.
Additionally she was an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust in the UK and served on the board of Literacy Partners in the US for six years. In 2007, she was awarded an OBE for her services to literature.
HarperCollins said of the 91-year-old: “A storyteller of substance, Barbara was greatly admired, much loved and will be dearly missed by her family, friends and fans around the world.”
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Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of HarperCollins, said: “Barbara Taylor Bradford was a truly exceptional writer whose first book, the international bestseller A Woman of Substance, changed the lives of so many who read it—and still does to this day. She was a natural storyteller, deeply proud of her Yorkshire roots: she would regale us of her time working on the Yorkshire Evening Post with fellow reporter Keith Waterhouse and trainee photographer Peter O’Toole, the dawn of the Soho cafe society, and the many happy years shared with the love of her life, her husband, Bob.
“For 45 years, she was a huge part of our company and a great, great friend—we will miss her so much—but there is some solace in the knowledge that she is now, once again, alongside her beloved Bob. A life well-lived.”
Lynne Drew, Bradford Taylor’s long-term publisher and editor at HarperCollins, said: “Working with a storyteller as remarkable as Barbara for over 20 years was a huge privilege but also a huge amount of fun.
“Perennially curious, interested in everyone and extraordinarily driven, she loved writing, and the conversations we had about her characters were unfailingly the best hours of my week. Dominating the bestseller lists, she broke new ground with her sweeping epic novels spanning generations, novels that were resolutely not romances, and she epitomised the woman of substance she created, particularly with her ruthless work ethic.
“She was an inspiration for millions of readers and countless writers. I’m so proud to have been her publisher for over 20 years—working with her has been one of the great thrills of my career, and I and everyone at HarperCollins will miss her greatly.”
Jennifer Enderlin, president and publisher of St. Martin’s Press, said: “I have worked with Barbara Taylor Bradford as her US publisher and editor for almost 25 years. She was a legend in so many ways, but chief among them was her utmost professionalism and dedication to her craft. She never missed a deadline and if she said she was going to deliver her book on a Thursday, that’s when it would arrive.
“Before she embarked on a new novel, we would invariably have a delicious lunch at one of her favourite spots: La Grenouille or Doubles in the Sherry Netherland Hotel [in New York]. And there we would discuss the plot, the ‘what ifs’ of the book, and the arcs of the various characters. We would always have a glass or two of champagne, as Barbara said it stimulated creativity. She truly loved writing and creating her unforgettable worlds—whether that world was Yorkshire at the turn of the 20th century, or the glamorous watering holes of London in the present day.
“Barbara’s novels would always transport you. She was the definition of A Woman of Substance.”
Following a private funeral at Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue, Bradford Taylor will be laid to rest alongside her husband at Westchester Hills Cemetery, New York.
