Celebrated British novelist Joanna Trollope has died at the age of 82. Her daughters, Louise and Antonia, announced that she passed away peacefully at her Oxfordshire home on Thursday.
Widely recognised for her sharp portrayals of middle-England family life, Trollope was often labelled the “queen of the Aga saga” a description she rejected as patronising.
With a career spanning more than five decades, Trollope authored over 20 contemporary novels, including The Rector’s Wife, Marrying the Mistress, Second Honeymoon and Daughters-in-Law. Her books were translated into more than 25 languages, and many were adapted for television.
She also wrote 10 historical novels under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey, as well as essays, short stories and non-fiction works such as Britannia’s Daughters.
Her literary agent, James Gill, described her as “one of our most cherished, acclaimed and widely enjoyed novelists”.
Publisher Pan Macmillan called her a treasured author admired for her insight, wit and determination.
Born in Gloucestershire and a distant relative of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope, she studied English at Oxford before working in the Foreign Office and as a teacher. She became a full-time author in 1980, gaining widespread acclaim with the publication of The Choir in 1987.
Trollope received an OBE in 1996 for services to charity and a CBE in 2019 for services to literature. Known for writing longhand, she often explored themes such as remarriage, blended families, emotional strain and social change.
Despite frustrations over the Aga saga label, Trollope remained a defining voice in contemporary British fiction.
