Judith Krantz

Judith Krantz – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the life and legacy of Judith Krantz—American novelist, “queen of sex and shopping” fiction. Learn her journey from magazine editor to bestselling author, her novels and style, and her most memorable quotes.

Introduction

Judith Krantz (née Judith Bluma-Gittel Tarcher) (January 9, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was a bestselling American novelist, known especially for her glamorous, escapist romance and “bonkbuster” novels that combined fashion, romance, wealth, and intrigue. Her debut novel Scruples was a runaway success, translated into dozens of languages, and she went on to publish many more titles that captivated millions of readers. Her voice—and her books—offered readers a blend of luxury fantasy, emotional drama, and accessible emotion. Today she is remembered not only for her commercial success but for helping to reshape the landscape of popular women’s fiction in the late 20th century.

Early Life and Family

Judith Bluma-Gittel Tarcher was born on January 9, 1928, in New York City, the daughter of Mary (Braeger), an attorney, and Jack D. Tarcher, an advertising executive.

She grew up in New York and attended the Birch Wathen School, graduating at age 16.

She went on to study at Wellesley College, where among her goals were “to date, to read every novel in the library, and to graduate.”

After college—graduating in 1948—Krantz traveled to Paris for a year, where she worked in fashion public relations and mingled with figures in the style world.

Early Career: Magazine Work & Writing Foundations

Upon returning to New York, Krantz entered magazine work. She secured a position in the fiction department of Good Housekeeping, and was later promoted to fashion editor. She also freelanced articles for magazines such as Maclean’s, McCall’s, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Cosmopolitan.Cosmopolitan).

These journalistic and editorial roles allowed her to interview many women, observe social trends, explore style, and understand what resonated with female readers.

In 1953, Krantz met Steve Krantz, a film and television producer, at a Fourth of July party hosted by a mutual acquaintance (Barbara Walters). They married in 1954.

Throughout much of her early adult life, Krantz balanced family responsibilities with part-time writing and magazine work.

Breakthrough: From Novelist Debut to Commercial Success

Though she had dabbled in writing earlier, Krantz did not begin writing novels in earnest until later in life. In the mid-1970s, encouraged by her husband and motivated by a desire to test her own potential, she wrote her first novel.

Her debut novel, Scruples, was completed in about nine months and published in 1978, when Krantz was around 50 years old.Scruples became a phenomenal success: it reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller list, sold in translation to more than 50 languages, and became a cultural phenomenon.

Scruples is often credited with defining or popularizing a subgenre frequently dubbed “sex and shopping” or “bonkbuster”—romantic, glamorous stories set in opulent milieus, with fashion, luxury, and romantic drama as core elements.

Krantz followed with a string of successful novels, many of which were adapted into TV miniseries. Some of her notable works include:

• Princess Daisy (1980)

• Mistral’s Daughter (1982)

• I’ll Take Manhattan (1986)

• Till We Meet Again (1988)

• Dazzle (1990)

• Spring Collection (1996)

• The Jewels of Tessa Kent (1998)

At her peak, Krantz maintained that more than 80 million copies of her books were in print, translated into over 50 languages.

She also wrote her autobiography, Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl (2000).

Though she gradually slowed down, she officially retired from publishing fiction after The Jewels of Tessa Kent, stating she felt she had nothing more to say to her readers.

Style, Themes & Cultural Impact

Glamour, Escapism, and Emotion

Krantz’s novels offered readers escapism into a world of wealth, style, romance, and emotional stakes. Her narratives often involve characters rising from hardship or obscurity to glamour, love, and social acceptance. Her strong, determined heroines navigate relationships, ambition, betrayal, and identity.

Her writing style is not highbrow, but accessible, emotionally direct, and lightly soap-operatic—her own motto was not to aim for Dostoyevsky but to entertain and resonate.

Business Savvy & Self-Branding

Krantz was one of the early authors to embrace “celebrity author” status: she toured widely, gave interviews, and actively promoted her books, building a public persona alongside her literary career.

Her success also influenced publishing—novel advances grew in size, marketing strategies evolved, and the kinds of women’s fiction with glamorous settings and emotional plots became more mainstream.

Adaptations

Several of Krantz’s novels were adapted into TV miniseries in the 1980s and 1990s, often retaining her lavish settings and romantic drama.Judith Krantz’s “Secrets”, in 1992.

Her works remain part of the cultural lexicon of romance fiction, and authors who followed in realms of glamor, sexy romance, and emotional narrative often cite her as an influence.

Legacy and Influence

Judith Krantz’s legacy lies in commercial success, reshaping women’s commercial romance fiction, and confirming that emotionally resonant, glamorous novels could cross broad demographic lines. Her books gave many readers enjoyment, emotional catharsis, and dreams of possibility.

Her influence persists in contemporary romance and women’s fiction: the use of brand names, fashion, luxury settings, and emotionally charged plots is now a standard in many popular novels. She helped to legitimize that style as marketable.

Her persona as a glamorous, confident author inspired many—particularly women—by showing that a woman could achieve fame, financial success, and creative fulfillment later in life.

Though she passed away in 2019 at age 91, her books still circulate, her name still evokes a particular genre, and her quotes continue to be shared among aspiring writers and romance readers alike.

Famous Quotes of Judith Krantz

Here are some of her more memorable statements, reflecting her attitude toward writing, life, and personal philosophy:

“The only way to find out if you can write is to set aside a certain period every day and try. Save enough money to give yourself six months to be a full-time writer. Work every day and the pages will pile up.”

“Surely the whole point of writing your own life story is to be as honest as you possibly can, revealing everything about yourself that is most private and probably most interesting for that very reason.”

“I have only one reader – me. I’m the average reader. If I like it, that’s all I worry about.”

“On the one hand, shopping is dependable: You can do it alone, if you lose your heart to something that is wrong for you, you can return it; it’s instant gratification and yet something you buy may well last for years.”

“It can’t possibly last for years and browsing has its limits. Only a certain amount is healthy or wise.”

“Have some sort of a private place to work in. Put up a sign to keep from being interrupted. Mine says: ‘Please, do not knock, do not say hello or goodbye, do not ask what’s for dinner, do not disturb me unless the police or firemen have to be called.’”

“The rich are different only because people treat them as if they were.”

“Some questions are not meant to be asked as long as the answers are right.”

“He had put so much space behind him … only today existed, and even today merely unfolded, minute by minute.”

These quotes capture her pragmatic view of writing, her introspective sense of self, and her characteristic blend of wit and emotional insight.

Lessons from Judith Krantz

1. It’s never too late to begin
   Krantz began writing bestselling novels in her late 40s/early 50s. Her path shows that creative success can come later in life with passion and persistence.

2. Write what moves you
   Her advice—“If I like it, that’s all I worry about”—encourages authenticity. She assessed her own work by her own taste.

3. Discipline and regular practice matter
   The idea of carving out daily time to write—and letting the pages accumulate—underscores that consistent effort often underlies apparent overnight success.

4. Give voice to everyday dreams
   Her settings may have been glamorous, but her emotional arcs—love, identity, aspiration, fear—resonate because they touch universal human longings.

5. Brand and persona can amplify reach
   Krantz’s willingness to tour, promote, and build a public persona helped ensure her novels reached wide audiences—and that she became more than just a name on a cover.

Conclusion

Judith Krantz was a formidable force in popular fiction. Her rise from magazine editor to bestselling novelist transformed a corner of the romance genre. She showed readers that emotional drama, style, and often-criticized themes like shopping and glamour could coexist with serious selling power and meaningful reader connection.

Her quotes continue to guide aspiring writers, her stories continue to entertain, and her life remains a testament to creative reinvention, voice, and the power of writing what one loves.

Explore more of her novels, her autobiography, and her vibrant legacy in romance literature.