AS Byatt, author and critic, dies aged 87

 The renowned writer and critic AS Byatt, known for her exploration of family, myth, and narrative in a career spanning six decades, has passed away at the age of 87. Her publisher, Chatto & Windus, confirmed her peaceful passing at home surrounded by close family.

Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, who wrote under the name AS Byatt, crafted complex and critically acclaimed novels throughout her career, including the Booker prize-winning "Possession" and her insightful examination of artistic creation, "The Children’s Book." Over the years, she received numerous literary awards, from the Booker to a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

Antonia Drabble, born in 1936, grew up in Sheffield and York, pursuing her studies in English at Cambridge, Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, and Oxford. Her literary journey began in 1962 when she started teaching at University College London, and she published her first novel, "Shadows of a Sun," two years later. The intricate family relationships, a recurring theme in her works, were evident from the start.

As Byatt delved into a quartet of novels exploring the evolving female experience in the 20th century, her reputation continued to grow. Works like "The Virgin in the Garden" (1978), "Still Life" (1985), "Babel Tower" (1996), and "A Whistling Woman" (2002) showcased her keen observations on the intersection of intellectual and family life.

The turning point in her career came with "Possession," a novel that garnered critical acclaim and a new audience. Subtitled "A Romance," the book weaves a tale of two academics investigating the relationship between fictional Victorian poets. It won the Booker prize in 1990 and became an international bestseller.

In 2009, Byatt returned to the 19th century with "The Children’s Book," a novel shortlisted for the Booker prize that contrasts two versions of creativity through the lives of a writer and a potter 

Throughout her career, Byatt emphasized her love for writing as a source of pleasure and considered it the most important thing in her life. In 2016, she published "Peacock & Vine," an illustrated essay on the connections between William Morris and Mariano Fortuny, and was awarded the Erasmus prize the same year.

Byatt's literary agent, Zoë Waldie, highlighted her ability to captivate readers over many decades. In 2014, a coleopterist named a species of beetle after her in honor of her portrayal of naturalists in the novella "Morpho Eugenia."

Her editor, Jenny Uglow, reflected on Byatt's fascination with metamorphosis, describing her as someone who found excitement in the unexpected turns of individual lives. As news of her passing spread, the Booker prize committee expressed deep sadness at the loss of a literary luminary whose works will continue to dazzle and resonate for generations to come.