British writer A.S. Byatt, author of the novel ‘Possession,’ dies at 87

LONDON — Author A.S. Byatt, whose books include the Booker Prize-winning novel “Possession,” has died at the age of 87.

Byatt’s publisher, Chatto & Windus, said Friday that the author died “peacefully at home surrounded by close family.”

Byatt wrote two dozen books, starting with her first novel, “The Shadow of the Sun” in 1964.

“Possession,” published in 1990, follows two modern-day academics investigating the lives of a pair of Victorian poets. It won the prestigious Booker Prize that year and was adapted as a 2002 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Her other books include four novels exploring Britain in the 1950s and 60s, known as the Frederica Quartet — “The Virgin in the Garden,” “Still Life,” “Babel Tower” and “A Whistling Woman” – and “The Children’s Book” (2009). A book of short stories, “Medusa’s Ankles,” was published in 2021.

Clara Farmer, Byatt’s publisher at Chatto & Windus, said the author’s books — translated into 38 languages — were “the most wonderful jewel-boxes of stories and ideas.”

“We mourn her loss but it’s a comfort to know that her penetrating works will dazzle, shine and refract in the minds of readers for generations to come,” Farmer said.