Bestseller success: Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies

Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford is dead. She died at the age of 91, the British news agency PA reported, citing her spokeswoman and publisher Harper Collins. Over the course of her career, she has written around 40 novels – including her debut “Des Lebens bittere Süße” (originally: “A Woman of Substance”), which has sold more than 30 million copies since 1979.

The book was the first in the family saga about the protagonist Emma Harte. It is the story of an extraordinary woman who founded a powerful department store empire at the beginning of the 20th century, wrote her publisher in Germany. The story was also filmed for television.

Barbara Taylor Bradford wrote one bestseller after another. Although she also wrote about male protagonists, her special ability was to capture the essence of strong, determined women who fought for their success against odds, the British broadcaster BBC praised.

“Grande Dame of Blockbusters”

She was born in Leeds, England, in 1933, initially worked as a journalist and later moved to New York. According to PA, her works have appeared in more than 40 languages. She published the novel series “Cavendon Hall” and titles such as “It began in Paris”, “Audra’s legacy” and “Love waits in the end”.

British media described her as the “grande dame of blockbusters,” who was also honored by the royal family. According to the Guardian newspaper, when asked how she wanted to be remembered in the future, she once replied: “If at all, then as a sensitive woman.” According to PA, she died on Sunday surrounded by her loved ones after a short illness.