You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
The industry has paid tribute to “one of our finest novelists and thinkers” A S Byatt, who died aged 87 on 16th November 2023.
Byatt was best known for her Booker Prize-winning novel Possession (Vintage). In its obituary, the Guardian described Byatt as an "exhilarating genius", adding: "The publication of Possession released an unbelievable flow of creativity. Books came bursting out, notably Angels and Insects (1992), which was filmed in 1995, and, later, The Children’s Book (2009), shortlisted for the Booker."
In the Times, Elif Shafak described her as "one of our finest novelists and thinkers". She said: "What she did with the literary long form, the broad canvas of a novel, was breathtaking. She also wrote dazzling short stories, novellas, essays and non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects and disciplines, even book reviews for the Times. The versatility of her pen reflected the depth of her intellect."
Bea Carvalho, head of Books at Waterstones, said: “A S Byatt was one of the defining voices of modern literature, responsible for some of the most genius, dazzling works to be found on the shelves of our bookshops. She penned immediate classics with enduring appeal, and readers will continue to delight in and take inspiration from her words for many years to come. We are so sad to hear of her death, and are grateful that we have such a rich body of work to remember her by. Our thoughts are with her family.”
Byatt has sold almost 525,000 units for just over £4m, with Possession accounting for 110,000 copies and £909,000 of that. However, this predates BookScan by eight years, and her biggest seller since accurate records began is The Children’s Book (113,000 for £1.2m).