Margaret Forster, 77; wrote 'Georgy Girl' . LONDON - Margaret Forster,
the author of "Georgy Girl" and more than 20 other novels, died Monday
in a London hospice after suffering from cancer in the spine. She was
77. Her husband, Hunter Davies, said Mrs. Forster underwent a double
mastectomy 40 years ago and recovered fully, but the cancer returned to
her back 10 years ago. "It was bad, but eventually she recovered. At
age 50 on her birthday, she got up at 5 [a.m.] and ran up Red Pike
mountain and then swam in the lake and came back to the house and
brought me tea," he said. The couple spent much of their time in
England's peaceful Lake District and in London. The Royal Society of
Literature issued a statement describing her as "an extraordinarily
prolific and gifted writer of fiction, non-fiction, and literary
criticism. "Georgy Girl" was made into a hit movie in 1966 starring
Lynn Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, and James Mason. Mrs.
Forster co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which also inspired a
bouncy pop tune that captured the exuberance of the times. Mrs. Forster
taught at a girls' school in north London before she started to write
books. Davies said her novel "How to Measure a Cow" will be published
in March.
