Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy has died peacefully in hospital yesterday following a short illness. The 72-year-old author sold more than 40 million books worldwide during her career and touched on relationship issues that struck real resonance with her readers. Several of her books were adapted for the screen including the Circle Of Friends, The Lilac Bus and Tara Road.

Born in Dalkey, Ireland, Maeve Binchy studied at University College Dublin. She became a teacher and then later a journalist and women's editor, at the Irish Times before she moved to England where she became their London editor.

Her first novel, Light and Penny Candle, was published in 1982 and became a best seller.

In a 2001 interview with the BBC Binchy described the five rejections she received for her first novel as "a slap in the face". She said she was glad she persevered and sent the book to a sixth publisher. "It's like if you don't go to a dance you can never be rejected but you'll never get to dance either," she said.

Maeve Binchy made Britain's top 10 most popular writers and the New York Times' Bestseller List. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1999 and Tara Road was also chosen in Oprah's Book Club.

She announced her retirement in 2000 but continued writing. Her last novel, Minding Frankie, was published in 2010 - the same year she received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Book Awards. [Picture credit: The Guardian]