Mystery novelist PD James dies at 94

British author sold millions of books in many countries, including “The Children of Men”, which was turned into a film.

The TV show "Death Comes to Pemberley" was adapted from the book of PD James [AP]

Novelist PD James, author of several British detective stories, has died, her publisher announced.

The publisher, Faber and Faber, said James died on Thursday at her home in Oxford, southern England.

James’ books, many featuring sleuth Adam Dalgliesh, sold millions of copies in many countries and most were just as popular when adapted for television.

Phyllis Dorothy James was born in Oxford on August 3, 1920. Her father was a tax collector and there was not enough money for her to go to college, a fact she always regretted.

The Crime Writers’ Association gave James its Diamond Dagger award in 1987 for lifetime achievement, and in 2005 the National Arts Club honoured James with its Medal of Honor for Literature.

Her work was not confined to the mystery genre. Her 1992 science fiction novel “The Children of Men,” about a dystopian future in which humanity has become infertile, was turned into a critically praised 2006 movie by Alfonso Cuaron.

Because of the quality of her writing, she was at first seen as a natural successor to writers like Dorothy L. Sayers, creator of Lord Peter Wimsey in the between-the-wars “Golden Age” of the mystery novel.

But James’ books were strong on character, avoided stereotype and touched on distinctly modern problems including drugs, child abuse and nuclear contamination.

Source: AP