A.S. Byatt A.S. Byatt, author of Possession (1990). (more) Possession novel by Byatt Written by Carola Campbell Carola Campbell's work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 501 Must-Read Books, where the work originally appeared. Carola CampbellAll Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 9, 2026 •History Possession, novel by British scholar and writer A.S. Byatt, first published in 1990. It won the Booker Prize for 1990, and it was adapted as a film in 2002. In the fiercely competitive world of academia, two young researchers, Roland Michell and Maud Bailey, are each researching individually into the lives and works of two apparently unconnected fictional Victorian poets, Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. The story opens in 1986 in the London Library,...

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