Her creative imagination is able to provide a close analysis of a character with all that individual’s fears, longings, and contradictions and to relate that individual not only to his or her circle of acquaintances but to patterns of global economics and politics as well, and then to sweep beyond even this planet to the cosmos and a perspective that encompasses the metaphysical questions of existence. Her novels repeatedly suggest that changes in the way humans view themselves, their world, and their relationships with others are imperative if life on this planet is to survive. The narrative voice that weaves throughout her prolific fiction is that of an intense thinker who observes, explores, and describes the contemporary world but whose ultimate sense of human life is that the individual, and indeed the human race, is meant to go beyond mere recognition of perceived reality and to struggle with visions of the possible. Her interests are far-ranging, from Marxism and global politics to the mystical teachings of Sufism to the small personal voice of the individual.ĭoris Lessing is a powerful writer committed to the lofty goal of changing human consciousness itself. Although known particularly as amaster of realism, Lessing is often experimental or deliberately fantastic, as shown in her science-fiction novels. Generally serious and didactic, Lessing’s fiction repeatedly urges the human race to develop a wider consciousness that would allow for greater harmony and less violence. Her works have been translated into many languages and have inspired critical attention around the globe. She started working as a nursemaid, and it during this time she opened up to writing.Doris Lessing (22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) has been one of the most widely read and influential British novelists of the second half of the twentieth century. The Nobel Prize winner quit school at the age of 14, and left home when she turned 15.In the early 80s, Doris Lessing started writing under a pseudonym of Jane Somers to demonstrate the difficultly writers face to get their books published.It was reprinted seven times over a span of just five months! Her first novel, The Grass is Singing created a controversy of sorts as it narrated the relationship between a white farmer’s wife and her black house help.A dynamic writer, Doris Lessing is said to have authored a book almost every year for 60 years!.After her win, she was quoted saying, “I'm 88 years old and they can't give the Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they'd probably better give it to me now before I've popped off.” When Lessing won the Nobel, she was 88 years of age making her the oldest recipient of the prestigious laurel.To know more about the British novelist, we put together five interesting things about Doris Lessing here. It was published in 1962, and gave an insight into the man-woman relationship.Īs an activist of women’s rights and racial conflicts, Doris Lessing has left behind a legacy of powerful writings in modern literature. Lessing’s breakthrough novel is the former one, which was deemed as being a feminist classic during her times. The Golden Notebook and The Grass is Singing are two of her most renowned and revered works. The British author, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2007, wrote extensively on politics and science fiction. Lessing passed away on Sunday in her London home. She was a poet, playwright, short story writer, biographer and even a voice of the Apartheid movement in South Africa. British novelist Doris Lessing was not an ordinary woman. By 94, she had 50 novels published under her name.
Doris Lessing with her Nobel Prize in 2007.Īt 15, she sold her stories to a magazine.