Jilly Cooper is a prominent English novelist, best known for her work in romance genre. She wrote several non-fiction books before taking up popular fiction writing. Her recognized work includes Rutshire Chronicles.
Born on February 21, 1937, in Essex, England, Cooper belonged to a well-respected family in Yorkshire. She was a daughter to a Brigadier, W. B. Sallitt, OBE and Mary Elaine. She was brought up at Ilkley and Surrey and received her education from Moorfiel and Godolphin schools. In 1956, she began her writing career, though remained unsuccessful in the British national press. She became a cub reporter for the Middlesex Independent and subsequently did a number of stints as a copywriter, receptionist, account executive and publisher’s reader, as well as tried her hand at public relations. After getting fired from twenty-two jobs consecutively, she decided to settle for book publishing.
Cooper met a publisher named Leo Cooper in 1948 and married him in 1961. It was not until 1968 that she had her big break. She was already writing for a women’s magazine when she was approached by Godfrey Smith, the editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, at a dinner party. She was requested to write a piece on the challenges faced by a young working wife. She was hired as a regular columnist and gained immense popularity for her entertaining pieces that also featured a series of interviews with notable figures. Afterwards, she switched to The Mail on Sunday in 1982 and worked there for another five years. Her first column writing experience rendered the publication of her debut book, How To Stay Married, in 1969. The success of the first book led to the publication of a self-help, How to Survive from Nine to Five (1970), about keeping balance in one’s working life. Moreover, she published a collection of her magazine writings in Jolly Super, in 1971.
In mid 1970’s Cooper, directed her attention toward fiction writing. Similar to the non-fiction works, her fiction was also influenced by her personal experiences. Even the setting of her novels is modeled after her own residence. She wrote a series of “permissive” romances. These romance novels are based on her short stories featured earlier in a teen magazine. The books are titled after female names, such as Emily, Imogen, Octavia,Prudence etc. Cooper’s first lengthy novel, titled Riders (1985), is a part of the Rutshire Chronicles. It was followed by another successful romance, Rivals (1988) and Polo (1991) which turned out to be highest sold books in hard paperback. The Rutshire Chronicles feature intricate plots with complex characters and melodramatic issues of upper-middle class society. The theme of most her romance novels involve infidelity, domestic upheavals and betrayal.
Jilly Cooper has penned about forty books over the decades. She made special appearance on a number of radio and television shows, including What’s My Line. She also contributed to television industry as she wrote a series, It’s Awfully Bad For Your Eyes Darling. Additionally, she produced four children’s book, including Mongrel Magic and Little Mabel. Her books were translated into over 14 languages. Furthermore, Cooper’s first novel was adapted into a television mini-series, which received astoundingly high ratings from the very first episode. Published in 1993, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous was also taken up for adaptation by ITV. In 2004, she was awarded the “Order of the British Empire” for her services to Literature. She also received an honorary doctorate from Gloucestershire University, in 2009.
Buy Books by Jilly Cooper
