Barbara Taylor Bradford, author woman of substance, which was made into a hugely successful Channel 4 drama series, has died aged 91. Taylor Bradford passed away yesterday after a short illness.
Bradford publisher HarperCollins confirmed the news this morning. The publisher's chief executive, Charlie Redmayne, described her as “a truly exceptional writer, whose first book has been an international bestseller”. A woman of substanceIt changed the lives of many who read it – and continues to do so to this day.
Born in Leeds in 1933, Taylor Bradford moved to London in her twenties where she first began writing.
In 1979, she published her first novel, “Rags to Riches.” A woman of substance The film revolves around the protagonist Emma Hart and the retail empire she and her family create. The book sold 30 million copies worldwide and became a star for Taylor Bradford, who wrote six more books in the series.
A woman of substance It was made into a Channel 4 drama series in 1984 starring Jenny Seagrove. It was watched by 14 million people, a record for Channel 4, and was nominated for two Emmy Awards. Nine other Taylor Bradford books have been made into television mini-series or films over the years, all of which were produced by her husband, Robert E. Bradford, the American film producer who died in 2019. Among these books is Keep the dream, be the best, act of will and Heart sound From the Emma Hart saga.
Taylor Bradford was prolific and wrote many other books including the Ravenscar trilogy, the Cavendon Chronicles and the House of Falconer trilogy, the last of which was written last year titled The wonder of everythingWhich was her fortieth novel.
Her publisher and editor, Lynn Drew, told the BBC: “She dominated bestseller lists, broke new ground with sweeping, epic novels that spanned generations, novels that were never romantic, and embodied the woman of substance that she created, especially with her tough work ethic.”
