British novelist Beryl Bainbridge dies at 77

In London, novelist Dame Beryl Bainbridge has died at the age of 75.

Her works included "The Dressmaker" and "Injury Time," and her 1989 novel "An Awfully Big Adventure" was made into a film starring Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant.

Her literary career began in 1967 with "A Weekend With Claude" - the story of a violent, predatory man. Its dark themes remained characteristic of her work. Bainbridge's 1978 book "Young Adolf" told the tale of a youthful Hitler working as a waiter in a hotel in Dame Beryl's home city of Liverpool.

She also wrote historical novels and newspaper columns and had been an actress before getting published as a writer.

The prolific, multi-award-winning novelist, passed away after suffering from cancer while working on her final novel, "The Girl in the Polka-Dot Dress."

Author: Olly Barratt

Editor: Stuart Tiffen