Vincenzi ‘fulfilled ambition to die at her typewriter’
THE DAUGHTERS of British novelist Penny Vincenzi have paid tribute to their “endlessly positive and resilient” mother, who has died aged 78.
Vincenzi, whose career as an author spanned nearly three decades, died on Sunday.
Her daughters Polly Harding, Sophie Cornish, Emily Gunnis and Claudia Vincenzi said she was “still galloping through her new novel” until as recently as last week, and that she “fulfilled her ambitions” to die at her typewriter.
They said they were “touched” at the many tributes to their mother, adding: “To us she was a mother first. We knew her kindness, care and constancy.
“She often said that the most important thing a mother can do for her children is to be in their corner, and she was, every day, every time.
“She encouraged us in everything we did and sincerely believed that we were the most talented girls in the world.”
Vincenzi’s first job was as a librarian at Harrods. She then worked at the Daily Mirror as a secretary before going into journalism, writing for publications including The
Times, the Daily Mail, Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Her first novel was Old Sins, published in 1989, and she went on to write a further 16 novels, including bestsellers Sheer Abandon, The Best of Times, The Decision and An Absolute Scandal.
It was also announced last night that James Bond director Lewis Gilbert had died aged 97. His films included