The Doris Lessing Reader

Lessing, Doris

ISBN 10: 0224026496 / ISBN 13: 9780224026499

Published by Jonathan Cape, London, England, 1989

About this Item

Some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition; an excellent introduction to the work of Doris Lessing.

Seller Inventory # 015719

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Doris Lessing Reader
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape, London, England
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0224026496
• ISBN 13: 9780224026499
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: British First.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good, Not Price Clipped
• Book Type: Book

About this title

Synopsis

When Doris Lessing came to England from Rhodeisa almost forty years ago, she brought with her a manuscript: The Grass is Singing. It was immediately recognised as an exceptional first novel and she was soon acclaimed as one of the finest writers in English, producing work which is consistently controversial, entertaining and profound. This volume is the perfect way to encounter a remarkable author in all the facets of her work. Doris Lessing herself has chosen the extracts, from The Grass is Singing; the two great novel sequences, Children of Violence and Canopus in Argos; The Golden Notebook; Briefing for a Descent into Hell; The Summer Before Dark; and The Good Terrorist. There are six short stories and a representative section of non-fiction, including a piece from Going Home (a personal account of her return to Africa); an essay, 'My Father' from A Small Personal Voice; and an article describing her interest in Sufism. In the preface Doris Lessing points out that her readership tends to fall into two categories - those who admire her writing for its realism and those who prefer her space fiction. The Reader shows just how meaningless such divisions can be. Doris Lessing's ideas evolve over the years; we seen them recur and develop in this generous selection from an extraordinary body of work.

Synopsis

This reader has been assembled by Doris Lessing herself, and it provides a representative introduction to both her fiction and non-fiction. The book enables the reader to see her ideas evolve over the years as they recur and develop throughout her work. The extracts are taken from her previous books "The Grass is Singing", "Children of Violence", "Canopus in Argus", "The Golden Notebook", "Briefing for a Descent into Hell", "The Summer Before the Dark" and "The Good Terrorist" as well as her non fiction books "Going Home" and "A Small Personal Voice".