Antonia Susan Duffy, known professionally as AS Byatt, passed away peacefully at home on November 16th, 2023. She was 87 years old.
At this time, her cause of death has not been made public. Her funeral arrangements have also not yet been announced.
AS Byatt was an English novelist, critic, poet, and short story writer. She is best known for her Booker Prize-winning novel, Possession, which was published in 1990.
She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Byatt was born Antonia Susan Drabble in Sheffield, England, on August 24th, 1936. She studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge, and Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia.
She worked as a teacher and a lecturer before becoming a full-time writer in the early 1980s. Byatt published her first novel, Shadows of a Sun, in 1964.
She went on to publish over 20 novels, as well as short stories, poetry, and criticism. Her work is often characterized by its intelligence, its exploration of complex themes, and its use of vivid language.
Byatt was a prolific and well-respected writer. She was awarded the Booker Prize in 1990 for her novel Possession. She was also shortlisted for the prize in 1978 for her novel The Virgin in the Garden.
In 1999, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature.
Byatt was a beloved and respected figure in the literary world. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and fans.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Royal Society of Literature.
