Monday, November 18, 2013

The Passing of Doris Lessing


Yesterday, the writer Doris Lessing passed away after a long career as one of the foremost authors of her generation. Feted for being a feminist writer and recipient of the Nobel Prize, she was never comfortable with either label, and constantly refused to be put into specific categories in either her writing or in her personal life.

Lessing’s The Grass is Singing and The Golden Notebook are a couple of my favorite works written by this truly unique author. Her experiences in Africa during the height of imperialism, and her disillusion during WWII in Europe shaped the writing in all her books, which drew heavily from her personal life. I certainly didn’t always agree with everything Lessing said in her books, but many of her ideas definitely struck a chord in me as I’m sure they did in many others. In interviews, she also spoke out against creative writing classes (which she said would have dissuaded her from becoming an author if she ever took them), and she also didn’t pay much heed to book awards even when she received the Nobel Prize.

What are some of your favorite works by Lessing? Or which ones do you plan on reading now? Who are some of your favorite contemporary authors?  

18 comments:

  1. I haven't read any of her work... but goodness, she seemed like a fascinating woman. I don't read much contemporary, but I sure have a bit on my list. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I only started reading her a few years ago. Try her _Memoirs of a Survivors_ too:)

      Delete
  2. Spoke out against creative writing? She was unique. Although for some of us, if we knew all the rules and what would really happen from the beginning, we might not have written either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, she didn't like the element of having a group critique a new author, saying that if she had a group of peers critiquing her first draft like that it would have scared her off from writing.

      Delete
  3. I haven't read any of her works. What a woman. Funny how people try to label others. I think it happens a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, in a way it's natural for people to try and categorize, but for an author, it's just as natural to fight it:)

      Delete
  4. On my to-read list now. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'd never even heard of her before her passing. My bad.

    ReplyDelete
  6. No worries, her work lives on:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I read The Golden Notebook as a young adult. I'm sure, now that I'm gray-haired, I'd get much more out it. I need to read it again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's always fun to reread great book, especially at different ages. Every summer I try and reread some of my favorites:)

      Delete
  8. I've never heard of her... thanks for introducing me to this interesting writer. I'll have to look up some of her books. Writer’s Mark

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, her passing is very sad.
    Sometimes creative writing classes can be unproductive and scary places - so I agree with that comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I feel the same way after some of the classes I took. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. Hadn't heard of her, but I'll have to check out her stuff. China Mieville is fast-becoming one of my current favorites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for returning the favor...I never heard of him either, and suppose I'll have to checkout some of his books:)

      Delete