Best-selling A Woman of Substance author dubbed ‘Queen of the genre’ Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91
BEST-SELLING author Barbara Taylor Bradford has died at the age of 91.
Barbara Taylor Bradford was a prolific author whose debut book A Woman Of Substance is one of the best-selling novels of all-time.
The novel sold more than 30 million copies since its publication in 1979.
Barbara died peacefully at her home on Sunday 24 November following a brief illness.
Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins Publishers UK, 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 café 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….”
The writer, who died on Sunday at the age of 91, wrote 40 novels, all of which became best-sellers. Her last book, The Wonder Of It All, was published in November last year.
Her books have sold more than 91 million copies and have been published in more than 40 languages and in 90 countries.
A Woman Of Substance, the story of a woman who launches her own retail empire after starting out as a maid, was part of her Emma Harte Saga, which spawned eight books, concluding with 2021’s A Man Of Honour.
The saga was adapted for a three-part TV mini-series for Channel 4 in 1985, starring Liam Neeson with Jenny Seagrove as Emma Harte, it received two Emmy nominations.
Actress Jenny Seagrove, who starred as Emma Harte in the TV adaptation of A Woman of Substance, said in a post shared by Harper Collins Publishers UK: “She never changed. 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. RIP dear friend.”
Jenny described the moment she first met the late author, saying a “powerhouse of glamour and warmth” walked towards her.
“That was the start of a long friendship with the force of nature that I am proud to call my friend,” she added.
A Man Of Honour was a prequel to her debut, which started five years before the original and follows the fortunes of Blackie O’Neill, who leaves Co Kerry for Leeds to build a better life, and meets kitchen maid Emma.
Other series include The Ravenscar Trilogy (2006 to 2008), The Cavendon Chronicles (2014 to 2017) and The House Of Falconer (2018 to 2023), and standalone novels such as Love In Another Town (1995).
As many as 10 of her novels were adapted for TV, some produced by her husband Robert E Bradford.
Born in Leeds in 1933, her father, Winston Taylor, was an engineer who had lost a leg in the First World War.
As a child during the Second World war she held a jumble sale at her nursery school, where a fellow pupil was author Alan Bennett, and donated the £2 proceeds to the Aid to Russia fund.
She received a letter from Clementine Churchill, the wife of then-prime minister Winston Churchill.
Her older brother, Vivian, died of meningitis before she was born, and she described her mother, Freda Taylor, as having “put all her frustrated love into me” in an interview with the Guardian.
She later fictionalised her parents’ marriage in the 1986 book An Act Of Will.
Barbara’s writing career began at the age of 15, as a typist, and later a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post.
In an interview with The Observer she said Keith Waterhouse took her under his wing.
During this period, she added one of her fellow reporters, Peter O’Toole, developed a “real thing” for her.
She said: “He was lanky and dishevelled with acne. I refused to go to the movies with him, but he still edged up to me whenever the newsroom went to the pub.
“Years later, Keith and I were at an event where the producer Sam Spiegel introduced the star of his new movie.
“Out walked the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, dressed as Lawrence of Arabia. Keith said: “Don’t you wish you’d gone to the pictures with him now?” I never got over Peter’s transformation.
She moved to London, where she eventually became the fashion editor of Woman’s Own magazine and a columnist for the London Evening News.
She went on to write an interior decoration column syndicated to 183 newspapers, and returned to the subject later in her career for a number of non-fiction books.
She also published non-fiction books such as Bradford’s Living Romantically Every Day, Etiquette To Please Him and A Garland Of Children’s Verse.
In 1961 she met film and television producer Bradford on a blind date, and they were married in London on Christmas Eve 1963, and moved to New York in 1964. They remained together for 55 years until he died, after a stroke, in July 2019.
After starting and ditching several attempts at a novel, she hit the big time at the age of 46 when A Woman Of Substance was published, making her an overnight success.
Barbara was made an OBE as part of the Queen’s 2007 birthday honours, for her services to literature, and has received honorary doctorates from Leeds University, the University of Bradford, Mount St Mary’s College, Sienna College and Post University.
Her original manuscripts are archived at Leeds University’s Brotherton Library, beside those of the Bronte sisters, whose books Taylor Bradford read as a child.
In 2017 she was recognised as one of 90 Great Britons to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday.
Barbara also published three Christian books, Children’s Stories Of Jesus From The New Testament, Children’s Stories Of The Bible From The Old Testament and Children’s Stories Of The Bible From The Old And New Testaments.
Jennifer Enderlin, President and Publisher of St. Martin’s Press, said in a post shared by HarperCollins: “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.
“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.”
A spokeswoman for the late author announced her death on Monday, saying she died at home after a short illness, and that after a private funeral in New York she would be buried alongside her husband at the city’s Westchester Hills Cemetery.