Remembering A.S. Byatt and Other Authors Who Died in 2023

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A.S. Byatt accepting the Booker Prize for her masterful 1990 novel Possession. (Screen shot by me from a video.)

The death this past Thursday of A.S. Byatt, 87, reminded me that her 1990 book Possession is one of my very favorite novels. It also reminded me that we lost several great authors in 2023, as is the case during most years.

Possession is a dual-timeline story about two 20th-century academics investigating a secret romance between two 19th-century poets — poets who are fictional but partly based on Christina Rossetti and a mix of Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson. Byatt even wrote the poems in the book, and they’re memorable — as are the four major characters and plot. The novel is an intellectual page-turner.

Byatt — the sister of another well-known British author, Margaret Drabble — wrote about a dozen novels as well as non-Possession poetry, short stories, biographies, essays, and more.

Other major novelists I’ve read who died in 2023 include Cormac McCarthy, Fay Weldon, and Russell Banks.

I did a posthumous appreciation of McCarthy for this blog in June, so I won’t repeat much here. He is most famous for The Road and No Country for Old Men, and also wrote other acclaimed novels such as Suttree, Blood Meridian, and All the Pretty Horses.

Fay Weldon, a strong feminist best known for The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, authored about 30 novels. I enjoyed her 2000 book The Bulgari Connection, which focuses on a woman who had been jailed for trying to run over her husband’s mistress. The novel raised some eyebrows when it was learned that Weldon was paid to mention Bulgari jewelry multiple times in it. Movie-like product placement!

Russell Banks’ most-remembered novel is Continental Drift, which I haven’t read. I did read 1995’s Rule of the Bone — a compelling, gritty look at a teenage drug dealer fleeing an abusive family situation for a rather problematic different life. Banks wrote a dozen other novels as well as short stories, poetry, and nonfiction.

While not a novelist, an honorable mention goes to 2023-deceased nonfiction author Harold Kushner, who penned the comforting 1981 mega-seller When Bad Things Happen to Good People. A pretty decent book.

Your thoughts on this week’s topic?

My literary-trivia book is described and can be purchased here: Fascinating Facts About Famous Fiction Authors and the Greatest Novels of All Time.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — about my local Township Council making a good decision (to lower speed limits) and a bad decision (not pushing a developer to build additional affordable housing) — is here.

89 thoughts on “Remembering A.S. Byatt and Other Authors Who Died in 2023”

  5. Hi Dave, it is always sad to learn of the death of someone who has made a significant contribution of literature and society. Many of the books I read were written decades ago so the authors are long passed. Roger Hargreaves died in 1988 and he was the first author whose passing made any impact on me. He wrote the Mister Men and Little Miss series of books.

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  6. Hello, Dave. I missed the death of A. S. Byatt; thanks for letting us know. I have read Possession twice since it came out, and both times I thought it was terrific (which is not something to be taken for granted–occasionally when I reread something that I remembering loving, I am sadly disappointed the second time round.)

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    • Thank you, Kim! Great that you’ve read “Possession” twice — and that it held up very well the second time! If I ever have the time to reread a book (in addition to reading books for the first time), “Possession” would be among those high on the list.

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  8. It seems the Montclairvoyant could also be the Torontovoyant.
    I’m sure the affordable rentals scam was started here.
    Is that speed limit thing a trick question? Between 50 & 0…. I’m thinking, according to my mathtriculation is 0.

    I could sign up to comment there, but I feel like an interloper.
    AND I only buy books on Kobo. I checked for your book, but it’s not there.
    Of interest is the plethora of titles or authors that come up when the one I’m searching isn’t there.

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    • “Torontovoyant” — love it! 🙂 Yes, Resa, unfortunately things like not enough affordable housing and gentrification are problems in so many places. 😦 The only way I and my family were able to afford staying in Montclair was selling our house and moving into an apartment.

      I have very mixed feelings about my book being on Amazon, a corporation that of course makes things hard for smaller businesses and treats its workers badly. I try to almost never buy things on that site — shopping local unless I have absolutely no choice.

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  9. RIP to all! It’s nice to remember.

    Well, I’d like to add the recently departed Betty Ford. Not a novelist, but a memorable person who served society. She did write 4 non fiction books.

    Also, Jimmy Buffett, who was famous for his song Margaritaville, wrote 3 NY Times best sellers. Two were fiction novels, “Tales From Margaritaville” & “Where is Joe Merchant?”
    I’ve read neither.
    His memoir “A Pirate Looks at Fifty”, went straight to #1.

    You gotta love the music biz. One great hit can set one up for life.
    The musicians have a saying; “You can make a killing, but it’s hard to make a living.”

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  10. I’m not familiar with the authors you mentioned (although I did see the movie “No Country for Old Men”). However, there have been some author deaths that have gutted me. I was pretty sad when Beverly Cleary died a few years ago, and I was also very sad when David McCullough, one of my favorite historical writers, died last year.

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    • Thank you, M.B.! You named two giants of their genres, and I can see why you were very sad when they died. Fortunately, they lived very long lives — especially Beverly Cleary (104!). My daughters read several of Cleary’s books when they were younger, and I thought David McCullough’s biography of John Adams was superb. Was really helpful to read before I visited the Adams home in Quincy, Mass., a number of years ago.

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  11. I must admit I had to look up who died in 2023 authorwise, and was surprised to learn Anne Perry were among others. Never read Anne Perry, but heard of her and the murder she was involved in re: the movie Beautiful Creatures. This was a real shocker to learn. As was Stieg Larrson’s death, although that was in 2004. I’m not one to hear of these matters until long after the fact. And it’s still as incredible, esp. if you admire their works or their bio included a bizarre event as Perry’s. Nice them Dave, thanks Susi. Btw, Happy early Thanksgiving.

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      • Thank you, Susi! I haven’t read Anne Perry, either, but noticed her passing when looking at a list of 2023-deceased authors as I wrote this post.

        And, yes, Stieg Larsson’s untimely death almost two decades ago was shocking and unfortunate — before he got to enjoy the fame of the great Millennium Trilogy that would become a mega-seller.

        A Happy Thanksgiving in advance to you, too! 🙂

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  13. I am not familiar with the authors you mentioned, Dave, but it sounds like we’ve lost some good ones.

    Kurt Vonnegut was one of my favorite authors. I was lucky enought to see him live in Hartford in 2006, where he talked about writing and his career. He died one year later and I felt like I had lost a friend.

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  16. Thank you for the introduction to A.S. Byatt’s, book, Possession, Dave. It sounds like a fascinating read.

    Many years ago, I spent time researching the romance genre, which is significant to the publishing and entertainment sectors.. As you know, the diversity within the genre allows for a broad readership, catering to various preferences and interests. One of the authors that I read was Julie Garwood,who has written a total of 38 books, 33 of which have been translated into various languages.

    I especially appreciated her backstory and what prompted her to write. At age six, Julie had a tonsillectomy causing her to miss a significant amount of school. As a result, she did not learn to read like the other children her age. It wasn’t until she was eleven that her mother realized Garwood’s inability to read. Sister Elizabeth, a math teacher, recognized the importance of literacy and dedicated an entire summer to teaching Garwood how to read and appreciate stories. This experience had such a profound impact on Garwood that she named her daughter Elizabeth.

    She died on June 8, 2023 at her home in Leawood, Kansas.

    “Education isn’t just about feeding the brain. Art and music feed the heart and soul.” Julie Garwood

    Another great topic – I’ll be back for the following-up conversation.

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  18. I’ll be sure to read Possession soon. Of the other authors and writings you commemmorate, I have only read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. There was a plaque dedicated to him on the central mall, in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I worked, and apparently he lived, awhile.

    Your blog is most informative. When do you have time to read?

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    • Thank you, Katharine! Yes, Cormac McCarthy did live in Tennessee for a while, and his great “Suttree” novel is set in that state. Nice that there’s a plaque dedicated to him in Knoxville!

      My blog posts are a mix of novels I’ve read recently and novels I’ve read not that recently, so it looks like I read more books than I do — though I try to get to three or four most months, slipping in reading time when I can. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Darlene! Glad you’re also a fan of “Possession”! (With an assist from your daughter’s high school English Literature teacher 🙂 ) It’s one of my top-10 novels. And, yes, sad when an excellent writer passes, but good that A.S. Byatt lived a pretty long life.

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