Barbara Taylor Bradford, Acclaimed Author of ‘A Woman of Substance,’ Passes Away at 91

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the renowned British-American novelist best known for her bestselling novel ‘A Woman of Substance,’ has passed away at the age of 91. She died peacefully at her home on Sunday, November 24, 2024, following a short illness and was surrounded by her loved ones.

Taylor Bradford’s literary career was marked by immense success, with her debut novel ‘A Woman of Substance,’ published in 1979, selling over 30 million copies and becoming an international bestseller. The novel tells the rags-to-riches story of Emma Harte, from her life as a servant in rural Yorkshire to her rise as the head of a business empire. This success was followed by 39 more novels, all of which became worldwide bestsellers.

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in May 1933, Taylor Bradford began her writing career at a young age. She started writing at 7 and was first published at 10 when her mother sold a story to a children’s magazine. She worked as a typist for the Yorkshire Evening Post at 15, became a reporter a year later, and by 18 was the paper’s first woman’s editor. She later moved to London and worked on Fleet Street for publications such as Woman's Own and the London Evening News.

In 1961, she met her husband, American film producer Robert Bradford, and they married in London on Christmas Eve in 1963. The couple moved to New York in 1964 and were married for 55 years until Robert’s death in 2019. Ten of her books were adapted into TV films or dramas by her husband, including the acclaimed ‘A Woman of Substance,’ which starred Jenny Seagrove and Liam Neeson and received two Emmy nominations.

Taylor Bradford’s contributions to literature were recognized with an OBE in 2007 by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Her books have been published in over 40 languages and in 90 countries, with total sales exceeding 91 million copies. In one of her last interviews, she reflected on her legacy, saying she would like her epitaph to read: ‘She made her dreams come true’).