A Woman of Substance author dies at 91 | Global News Avenue

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the author best known for best-selling novels such as “Substantial Woman,” has died at the age of 91.

Published in 1979, A Woman of Substance sold 30 million copies, spawned seven sequels and a television adaptation, and remains the most watched program in Channel 4’s history.

This is the first of 40 novels by Taylor Bradford; others include the Ravenscar, Cavendon and House of Falconer series.

Her publisher and editor, Lynne Drew, paid tribute to her, saying: “She dominated the bestseller lists and broke new ground with epic novels that spanned generations and were anything but romance. novel, she epitomizes the material woman she created, especially her ruthless work ethic.”

Drew said the author was “forever curious, interested in everyone, and had an extraordinary drive” and had “inspired millions of readers and countless writers.”

Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins Publishers, said: “Barbara Taylor Bradford is a truly outstanding author whose first book – an international bestseller The book “Substantial Woman” changed the lives of many readers and still does today.”

He added that she was “a natural storyteller” and “a very, very good friend”.

Full Woman tells the rags-to-riches story of Emma Harte, a young woman who rose from being a maid to building and running a large department store.

In 1985, the miniseries was watched by nearly 14 million people on Channel 4 and was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

Emma is played by Jenny Seagrove, who pays tribute to the author as a “dear friend.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Seagrove recalled how she was a young and nervous actress when she first met Taylor Bradford.

“I met Barbara at a screening (of “Substantial Woman”) and she came up to me, hugged me and said, ‘Oh, you’re my Emma.'”

“That’s all I needed. I burst into tears.”

The book is semi-autobiographical and “you can feel the truth in it,” she added.

Taylor Bradford had a huge impact on women, Seagrove said.

“We would go on promotional tours… women would randomly come up to me… and say ‘you changed my life,’ because Emma Hart changed their lives in some way, (like) starting a business. It really did change women’s lives.”

The actress said she traveled to the United States last year to attend Taylor Bradford’s 90th birthday celebrations.

“Even though she was sick, she dressed up in gorgeous clothes and was played by bagpipers. She never changed. She was always curious, always kind, always supportive of women, always giving and sharing.

“She supported women before they were fashionable, and that’s a great legacy,” Seagrove added.

Taylor Bradford’s rep released a statement on Monday saying she “passed away peacefully yesterday (November 24, 2024) at her home after a brief illness, surrounded by her loved ones until her final moments Down”.

Taylor Bradford was born in Leeds, where her mother “forced me to read” and she was in the same primary school class as Alan Bennett.

Young Barbara published her first story in a children’s magazine at the age of 10, and left school at 15 to work as a typist and copyist for the Yorkshire Evening Post.

She slipped her first story into the pages of the newspaper by slipping it into the deputy editor’s tray. It took the editors some time to realize what she was doing, but they subsequently promoted her to a reporter, and she was the paper’s only female reporter at the time.

She continued to write an interior decorating column that was published in 183 newspapers, Her first book was about home design.

they include In 1968, she published “The Complete Encyclopedia of Family Life Ideas” and she also wrote a series of entries in the “How to Be a Perfect Wife” series.

She made her first foray into fiction in her 40s, achieving great success and breaking stereotypes.

“When I wrote ‘A Woman of Content,’ I didn’t sit down and think, I’m going to write about a female warrior who conquers the world and breaks the glass ceiling, but I did want to write about women in a positive way,” she told The Guardian in 2017.

“There were a lot of very sexy books out there, but the women in them weren’t represented well.”

Her other novels include the Ravenska trilogy, which tells the story of a 20th-century dynasty that ends with the 25-year-old Elizabeth and is loosely based on Elizabeth I, the leader of the business empire.

The four books in the Covingden series tell the story of two families (one aristocrat, the other servant) from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Standalone novels include “A Sudden Change of Heart,” “The Women in His Life” and “Secret Affair.”

Her latest novel, The Miracle of Everything, was published last year.

“I think people understand now that I’m writing about female warriors — women who go out and conquer the world, and they’re not dependent on anyone,” The author told BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions 2022.

“They’re going to have careers, they’re going to be successful, they’re driven, they’re ambitious, they’re disciplined, they’re determined.

“I guess I’ve been borrowing from myself because that’s how I was created.”

Many of her books have been adapted into television or film versions. Liam Neeson starred opposite Seagrove in “A Woman of Substance,” and Elizabeth Hurley starred in 1989’s “Act of Will.” Will, Anthony Hopkins in 1991’s “To Be The Best.”

The screen version was produced by the author’s husband, Hollywood producer Robert Bradford.

They married on Christmas Eve 1963, after which she moved to the United States. He died in 2019.

Taylor Bradford will be buried next to her late husband in New York, a spokesman said.

Taylor Bradford was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2007 for services to literature and is an Ambassador for the National Literacy Trust.

In a tribute, the charity praised her as a “life-long passionate advocate for improving literacy skills” and said she had “helped transform the lives of some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities”.