A.S. Byatt has died

Possession is one of the best novels I have read - a book about writers and books, the intertwined story lines are in some sense a bit recursive, a mystery and a romance at the same time. It's one of those books that I had to struggle a bit to get through but the more I do the more I love the story.

The movie adoption is a total abomination though and basically lost all the charm of the original novel.

When news like this hits the front page of HN, I wonder to what degree it's because HN has many readers of AS Byatt, and to what degree it's because Paul Graham or the ones running the show here happened to have read her work. If the latter, it's like PG&Co just getting us familiar with their particular culture.

I think you sometimes need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle some books, especially the more "literary" or complicated novels. "Possession" was like that. It's one of the great books I've read and perhaps the first time I saw that some authors are on a higher literary level than almost all others. Byatt was like that. Beautiful book. I also enjoyed "Ragnarok" and "The Childrens Book" but "Possession" is one I will re-read at some point.

Thus ends one of the literary world’s longest running family feuds.

Rest in peace A.S.B., so that you may you be ready to ambush Margaret Drabble in the next world.

Blyat.