Possession: A Romance
A celebrated, self-contained novel and the most accessible entry point to Byatt's major fiction.
Author guide
A. S. Byatt Books in Order
A. S. Byatt (Antonia Susan Duffy, née Drabble, 1936–2023) was an English novelist, short-story writer, literary critic, and essayist. Her fiction combines intellectual, historical, scientific, and mythic themes. She won the 1990 Booker Prize for Possession and wrote the Frederica Quartet: The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, Babel Tower, and A Whistling Woman. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and received the Erasmus Prize, the Park Kyong-ni Prize, and the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.
literary fictionshort storiesnovellasliterary criticismessaysnonfiction
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Virgin in the Garden
The chronological beginning of the complete Frederica Quartet.
Read in order
Books by series
quartet · complete
The Frederica Quartet
A quartet of novels following Frederica Potter and her family, from postwar Britain through the cultural upheavals of the 1960s.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (9)
- The Shadow of the SunAmazon ↗
novel · 1964
- The GameAmazon ↗
novel · 1967
- Possession: A RomanceAmazon ↗
novel · 1990
- Angels and InsectsAmazon ↗
novella-collection · 1992
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The Biographer's TaleAmazon ↗novel · 2000
- The Bird Hand BookAmazon ↗
illustrated-nonfiction · 2001
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The Children's BookAmazon ↗novel · 2009
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Ragnarok: The End of the GodsAmazon ↗novel · 2011
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Peacock and Vine: On William Morris and Mariano FortunyAmazon ↗nonfiction · 2016
Nonfiction (4)
Short fiction (5)
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Sugar and Other StoriesAmazon ↗short-story-collection · 1987
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The Matisse StoriesAmazon ↗short-story-collection · 1993
- The Djinn in the Nightingale's EyeAmazon ↗
short-story-collection · 1994
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Elementals: Stories of Fire and IceAmazon ↗short-story-collection · 1998
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The Little Black Book of StoriesAmazon ↗short-story-collection · 2003
Essays and speeches (2)
Collaborations (1)
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Imagining Characters: Six Conversations about Women WritersAmazon ↗co-authored-nonfiction · 1995
Frequently asked questions about A. S. Byatt
Who was A.S. Byatt, and when did she live?
A.S. Byatt was the professional name of an English novelist, critic, and short-story writer who lived from 1936 to 2023.
What was A.S. Byatt’s real name, and was she related to Margaret Drabble?
She was born Antonia Susan Drabble and later became Dame Antonia Susan Duffy; she wrote under the name A.S. Byatt. She was the sister of novelist Margaret Drabble.
Sources: theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
What did A.S. Byatt do before becoming a full-time writer?
Byatt taught literature at the University of London, the Central School of Art and Design, and University College London. She left UCL in 1983 to write full time.
What influenced A.S. Byatt’s writing?
Her work was shaped by Victorian fiction and poetry, myths, fairy tales, and a sustained interest in storytelling. She also identified writers such as Iris Murdoch and Angela Carter as important touchstones.
Sources: theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards did A.S. Byatt win, and what is her literary legacy?
She won the 1990 Booker Prize for Possession, was appointed CBE in 1990, and was made a dame in 1999. Her legacy is closely associated with expanding the British novel’s intellectual and formal range through the combination of scholarship, history, myth, and storytelling.
Sources: thebookerprizes.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)