Madeleine Wickham, known for writing the bestselling novel Confessions of a Shopaholic under her pen name Sophie Kinsella, has died aged 55.
Wickham, dubbed “the queen of romantic comedy” by novelist Jojo Moyes, wrote more than 30 books for adults, children and teenagers, which have sold more than 45 million copies.
In April 2024, Wickham announced that she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, at the end of 2022, and had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery.
A statement posted to her Instagram account on Wednesday read: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy). She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.
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“We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life.
“Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed – to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career. She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received.
“She will be missed so much our hearts are breaking.”
Wickham was born in London in 1969. She studied music at New College, Oxford, before switching to Philosophy, Politics and Economics. After graduation, she became a financial journalist, but she said she found the job dull. During the long commute to central London, she would read paperbacks by the likes of Mary Wesley and Joanna Trollope, and began wanting to write a book.
At 24, she wrote her first novel, The Tennis Party, about a group of friends who take part in a weekend tournament. It was the first of seven novels Wickham wrote under her real name, published yearly between 1995-2001, including Cocktails for Three, The Wedding Girl, Sleeping Arrangements and The Gatecrasher. Sleeping Arrangements was adapted as a musical by Chris Burgess.
The Madeleine Wickham books are “rather different” from her later Sophie Kinsella books, said the author. “They’re a bit more serious, a bit darker and are all ensemble pieces without a main heroine, but groups of characters whose lives interlink in some way.”
Wickham submitted her first manuscript written under the name Sophie Kinsella, The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, without revealing her identity to her publishers. The book – issued as Confessions of a Shopaholic in some countries – was published in 2000 and became the first of 10 instalments in the Shopaholic series. The stories follow Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist with a spending problem. “I thought, wait a minute, shopping has become the national pastime, and nobody has written about it,” said Wickham. “It felt very much like an experimental project.”
The series’ first and second novels – the latter titled Shopaholic Abroad – were adapted for film. Confessions of a Shopaholic, directed by PJ Hogan and starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy, was released in 2009. – Guardian/PA
