{"id":424138,"date":"2024-11-26T09:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=424138"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Bestselling-Woman-of-Substance-author-Barbara-Taylor-Bradford-dies-aged-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Bestselling-Woman-of-Substance-author-Barbara-Taylor-Bradford-dies-aged-91\/","title":{"rendered":"Bestselling ‘Woman of Substance’ author Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bestselling British-American writer Barbara Taylor Bradford, whose debut novel “A Woman of Substance” turned her into an overnight success and sold over 30 million copies, has died aged 91, a spokeswoman said on Monday.<\/p>\n

Taylor Bradford, who wrote 40 novels and notched up 91 million book sales worldwide during her career, died peacefully at her home on Sunday following a short illness.<\/p>\n

She “was surrounded by loved ones to the very end”, the spokeswoman said, adding that a private funeral would be held in New York.<\/p>\n

“A Woman of Substance” tells the story of servant Emma Harte who overcomes a humble start in Taylor Bradford’s native Yorkshire in northern England to head a business empire, navigating numerous personal tragedies along the way.<\/p>\n

Many of her subsequent novels are also set in Yorkshire and follow a similar rags-to-riches theme, echoing her own story of success against the odds, powered by grit and hard work.<\/p>\n

“What I really wanted to do was to write about a very strong woman, because I’m strong,” she told an interviewer in 1983.<\/p>\n

“That doesn’t mean I’m tough or hard but I have the strength to meet adversity, not to give in,” she said, adding that she wrote 12 hours a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n

Her most recent novel “The Wonder of it All” was published last year.<\/p>\n

Born in Leeds in northern England in May 1933, Taylor Bradford began her working life aged 15 as a typist for her local newspaper The Yorkshire Evening Post before becoming a reporter.<\/p>\n

She moved to London aged 20 where she continued working as a journalist while dipping her toe into the world of fiction.<\/p>\n

She started and abandoned several novels before striking gold with “A Woman of Substance”, which was an instant success when it was published in 1979.<\/p>\n

– ‘Powerhouse’ –<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The novel spent 45 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.<\/p>\n

It was turned into a double Emmy-nominated miniseries in 1985 and starred Liam Neeson with British actor Jenny Seagrove in the role of Emma Harte.<\/p>\n

Seagrove paid tribute to a “dear friend” and “powerhouse of glamour and warmth”.<\/p>\n

“Success never diluted her warmth and humour or her ability to relate to everyone she met, whether a cleaner or a princess. She never, ever forgot that she was just a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made good,” she said.<\/p>\n

Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of publisher HarperCollins, described Taylor Bradford as a “truly exceptional writer”.<\/p>\n

“‘A Woman Of Substance’ changed the lives of so many who read it -\u2013 and still does to this day,” he said.<\/p>\n

“She was a natural storyteller, deeply proud of her Yorkshire roots. For 45 years, she was a huge part of our company and a great, great friend \u2013- we will miss her so much,” he added.<\/p>\n

Taylor Bradford was honoured in 2007 by the late Queen Elizabeth II who made her an OBE (officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to literature.<\/p>\n

She had lived in the United States since 1964 following her marriage the previous year to American film producer Robert Bradford.<\/p>\n

The couple were married for 55 years until his death in 2019.<\/p>\n

Taylor Bradford’s spokeswoman said she would be buried alongside her late husband at Westchester Hills Cemetery, north of New York City.<\/p>\n

har\/sbk<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Barbara Taylor Bradford moved to the United States in 1964 after her marriage to film producer Robert Bradford<\/p>\n

-Nicholas Hunt
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