JANE AUSTEN: A Jane Austen Biography One of the most powerful and profitable names in all of literature began as an anonymous writer of contested ability and moderate success. With just six books to her name, all those published while she was alive done so anonymously, two of these seeing print only after her death at the young age of 41 and her last work unfinished, Jane Austen somehow became a posthumous literary powerhouse. It was a feat overshadowed only by the fact that her name soon transcended her industry to become a brand that dominates entertainment media. Anything that has "Jane Austen" on it, or even hints of the loveable characters her pen made immortal (Elizabeth and Darcy amongst them) garners attention and a lot of the time - generates healthy financial returns. Her current status? Two hundred years dead but still in print, still racking up readers and fans, and now more than ever inspiring cultish devotion all over the world. She has become a cultural icon. This is her story.