Josephine Hart, Irish-born British novelist and poetry promoter, died from ovarian cancer he was , 69

Josephine Hart, Lady Saatchi was an Irish-born British writer, theatrical producer and television presenter died from ovarian cancer he was , 69. She authored the novel Damage, which was the basis for the 1992 film of the same name, directed by Louis Malle and starring Jeremy Irons, Miranda Richardson and Juliette Binoche.


(1 March 1942 – 2 June 2011)

Early years

Born at Mullingar, County Westmeath, she attended a convent school at Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where she was encouraged by the nuns to recite verse at Irish festivals.^[1] She moved to London in 1964.

Career

Formerly the director of Haymarket Publishing, Hart was a founder of Gallery Poets and West End Poetry Hour. She produced several West End plays, including the Evening Standard Award winner The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca.
She appeared on television as the presenter for the Thames TV series Books by My Bedside. Her papers are currently housed at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.

Books

• Damage, Vintage Books, 1991
• Sin, Vintage Books, 1992
• Oblivion, Vintage Books, 1995
• The Stillest Day, Chatto & Windus, 1998
• The Reconstructionist, Chatto & Windus, 2001
• Catching Life by the Throat: Poems from Eight Great Poets, W. W. Norton, 2008
• The Truth About Love, Virago, 2009

Personal life

Hart was married to Maurice Saatchi, advertising magnate and former political advisor with whom she had one son, Edward Saatchi. She also had a son from a previous marriage.

Death

Hart died, aged 69, from ovarian cancer on 2 June 2011.^[1]

 

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