Jane Gardam, the witty and prolific English author of books including The Hollow Land and Old Filth, has died at 96.

Her death was announced by Europa Editions, the press that published several of her books in the United States.

Gardam was born in North Yorkshire, England, and raised in Yorkshire and Cumberland. She was educated at Bedford College in London and worked as a journalist and librarian before making her literary debut in 1971 with the novel A Long Way From Verona.

In 1981, she published The Hollow Land, a linked short story collection that won the Whitbread Book Award for children’s books. Several more books followed, including Bilgewater, The Queen of the Tambourine, and Faith Fox.

Her novel Old Filth was released to significant critical acclaim in 2004. The book, about a retired judge reflecting on his life, was the first in a trilogy that continued with The Man in the Wooden Hat and Last Friends.

Gardam’s admirers paid tribute to her on social media. On the platform X, author and podcaster Andy Miller wrote, “Jane Gardam has died. I number her novels amongst my favourites—A Long Way from Verona, Crusoe’s Daughter, The Queen of the Tambourine—and I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon with her not so long ago. A great writer who was invested in the literary life to the end. RIP.”

And journalist Robbie Millen posted, “Sad news about Jane Gardam who has died aged 96. Her novel Old Filth is brilliant. Funny and moving. Read it!”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.