Barbara Taylor Bradford, Renowned Author of A Woman of Substance, Dies at 91

Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, the celebrated author of A Woman of Substance, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, November 24, following a brief illness. She was 91.

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1933, Bradford had a remarkable literary career, penning 40 novels that captivated readers around the globe. Her debut novel, A Woman of Substance (1979), became an instant sensation, selling over 30 million copies and establishing her as one of the world’s most successful fiction writers. To date, her books have sold more than 91 million copies in over 40 languages across 90 countries.

Bradford’s early life hinted at her future success. She started writing stories at just 7 years old and was first published at age 10, with her mother selling a story to a children’s magazine. At 15, she began her journalism career as a typist for the Yorkshire Evening Post, quickly progressing to become a reporter and, by 18, the paper’s first women’s editor.

In 1961, she met Hollywood producer Robert Bradford, marrying him in London on Christmas Eve, 1963. The couple relocated to New York in 1964 and remained devoted partners for 55 years until Robert’s death in 2019. He played a key role in adapting ten of her novels into TV dramas, including A Woman of Substance, which became a global phenomenon when it aired in 1985, garnering record-breaking viewership and two Emmy nominations.

Bradford’s work often focused on the lives of the glamorous and affluent, drawing inspiration from her own ambition and determination. In 2007, she was honored with an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature.

Reflecting on her legacy, she once said she’d want her epitaph to read: “She made her dreams come true.”

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