Josephine Cox, ''née'' Brindle (15 July 1938 – 17 July 2020), also known as Jo Cox, was an English author. Her books were frequently bestsellers and the UK Public Lending Rights figures often listed her in the top three borrowed authors.

Biography

Cox was born in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and was one of the 10 children of an alcoholic father. In 1956, she married Kenneth Cox and they had two sons. When her children were of school-age, she began college, and was offered a place at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, but family commitments did not allow this. She eventually became a teacher and wrote her first novel, ''Her Father’s Sins'' (published 1987), after her friend brought her paper and pens to keep her occupied while Cox was in hospital. Cox also wrote under the name Jane Brindle, her mother's name. Altogether she wrote more than 50 books. Her publisher,

Harper Collins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is ...

, announced Cox's death in 2020, 2 days after her 82nd birthday. She was described as a prolific author who grew up in poverty and went on to sell millions of copies of her family dramas, totaling over 60 books, over a writing career that spanned more than three decades.

Selected works

*''The Beachcomber'' (2013),

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

*''The Broken Man'' (2013), HarperCollins *''The Runaway Woman'' (2014), HarperCollins *''Two Sisters'' (2020), HarperCollins

References

External links

Josephine Cox Books Official WebsiteJosephine Cox at Fantastic Fiction
1938 births 2020 deaths English women novelists Writers from Blackburn {{UK-novelist-stub