Jilly Cooper

Dame Jilly Cooper (born Jill Sallitt; 21 February 1937 – 5 October 2025) was an English author and journalist, best known for her long-running ''Rutshire Chronicles'' series. She began her career in journalism and published several works of non-fiction, including books on class, animals and marriage, before turning to fiction. Her first book was ''How to Stay Married,'' which was published in 1969. She published several collections of journalism, alongside other non-fiction volumes throughout much of her career. Cooper's first novel to be published was the romance, ''Emily,'' which appeared in 1975 and was followed by five more, as well as a volume of short stories. Cooper was also an anthologist and wrote the ''Little Mabel'' series of children's books.

Cooper went on to become a prominent figure in British popular literature, noted for her witty social commentary and depictions of upper-middle-class life. Her best-known works are the Rutshire Chronicles of which the 1985 novel ''Riders'' was the first; it was followed by ten more volumes with the latest installment ''Tackle!'' published in 2023. The series is known for its humour, sexuality and depictions of upper-class life; several of the volumes feature the character Rupert Campbell-Black as a key protagonist. Whilst ''Riders'' alone sold over one million copies, and her romance novels compared to those of Nancy Mitford and Barbara Cartland, not all reviews were positive. ''Private Eye'' lampooned Cooper and gave her the nickname 'Super Cooper', which she later used as a title for one of her own books. Nevertheless Cooper is recognised as one of the key writers of the bonkbuster novel, along with Jackie Collins, Shirley Conran and Judith Krantz. Whilst few academics have analysed her work, those that have, recognise her ability to portray large cast of characters and her focus on pleasure as a literary theme. Academic Ian Patterson compared her to Anthony Trollope and Charles Dickens.

In 2025, the Jilly Cooper Prize was established as part of the Comedy Women in Print Awards to honour her contribution to comic fiction. After Cooper's death in the same year, Queen Camilla described her as a "wonderfully witty and compassionate friend". Coopper had received several honours during her lifetime, including that of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to literature and charity. Several of her works were adapted for television and radio, including the second Rutshire Chronicles volume, ''Rivals,'' which was adapted by Disney+ and released in 2024. It starred David Tennant and Aidan Turner. Provided by Wikipedia