Byatt, A.S. (1936–)
Byatt, A.S. (1936–)
British novelist and literary critic. Name variations: Antonia Susan Byatt. Born Antonia Susan Drabble, Aug 24, 1936, in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; dau. of John Frederick Drabble (judge) and Kathleen Marie Bloor Drabble; sister of Margaret Drabble (writer); educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, Bryn Mawr College, and Somerville College, Oxford; m. Ian Charles Rayner Byatt, 1959 (div. 1969); m. Peter John Duffy, 1969; children: 4.
Was a lecturer in literature at University College, London (1972–83), before becoming full-time writer; addresses themes of academic insularity, the challenges facing contemporary women, and the role of art and literature; earned international acclaim for her novel Possession: A Romance (1990); other novels include The Shadow of the Sun (1964), The Game (1967), The Virgin in the Garden (1978), Still Life (1980), Angels and Insects (1992), Babel Tower (1996) and A Whistling Woman (2002); also wrote and edited works of literary criticism. Received several awards, including Booker Prize for Possession; made CBE (1990) and DBE (1999).