Born:(1939-06-05) 5 June 1939 (age 86), Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Spouses:Clive Swift (m. 1960; div. 1975), , Michael Holroyd (m. 1982)
Children:Adam Swift, , Rebecca Swift, , Joe Swift
Education:Newnham College, University of Cambridge
Relatives:A. S. Byatt (sister)
Occupation:Biographer, , novelist, , short story writer
Notable works:A Summer Bird-Cage, , The Garrick Year, , The Millstone, , Jerusalem the Golden, , The Needle's Eye
Years active:1963–
Notable awards:John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, 1966, James Tait Black Memorial Prize, 1967, The Yorkshire Post Book Award (Finest Fiction), 1972, American Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Award, 1973, Golden PEN Award, 2011