The author of the famous 1990 novel Possession A.S. Byatt died aged 87 according to her publisher Chatto & Windus.

Winner of the Booker Prize for this same novel, Byatt was the winner of many other prestigious awards, including Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

Dame Antonia Susan Duffy became known professionally by her former married name as A. S. Byatt.

Possession, which made the transition into film in 2002, directed by Neil LaBute and starring, among others, Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth Paltrow, is a tale that recounts the story of two young scholars whose research involves the lives of two Victorian poets.

The author, born in 1936 as Antonia Drabble, is the sister of fellow novelist Margaret Drabble and they had a tumultuous rivalry, also featuring in their novels.

Byatt’s other books include The Virgin in the Garden, The Matisse Stories, Angels and Insects: Two Novellas, Still Life and Babel Tower.

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