What she did was really transgressive, and I don't quite know what to think about it. The Golden Notebook is the only Lessing I've read, and the stories sound very interesting, Kate.
I liked Lessing's short story "One Off the Short List," which, as I recall, made the BBC out to be a pretty terrible place to work. There is a horrible man involved, but the whole environment seemed pretty unpleasant. Her little tale, "Sunrise on the Veld", presents a beautiful environment with a sobering assessment about what can lie beneath beauty. And yet, Lessing does not seem cynical or disillusioned.
Thank you; yes, she reminds me of Margaret Drabble in her comment of establishments such as the BBC, at least as a place to work as a woman in the 1960s/70s.
😂 it's a VERY dense book...no judgement here! I struggled through it at times. Some bits I loved (the idea of the woman artist/mother), other bits (the communist politics, etc) I found less interesting. Hopefully you might find her short stories more enjoyable 😉
I also struggled, it took me a few months to finish it. I wonder if I should read it again (one day) notebook by notebook, just the black one, then the red one etc, the free women part etc... It's a fascinating book, she was a brilliant thinker and an unconventional feminist.
I have often thought of returning to the book myself. As you say, reading the notebooks separately might be a better way of tackling it. I agree; it is a fascinating book, that I am drawn to in part due to Lessing's unconventionally.
Thank you for the links to the short stories, which sound very interesting to discover. I have a copy of the Golden Notebook, but not yet read it. It seems such a huge book to embark on.
Yes! I would say 'The Golden Notebook' may be best either for a time when you want to immerse into a long and deep read, or as an ongoing reading project to dip in and out of. I like another reader's comment saying she planned to take the coloured 'notebooks' of the novel one at a time, which may be a way of breaking it up a little! :)
I loved African Stories, and also A proper Marriage (to be honest, I preferred the short stories), but Particularly Cats is in my heart. They are not properly short stories and surely the stories of African Stories are superior in terms of composition and emotional impact on the reader, but in Particularly Cats there's a kind of soft warmth that made them unforgettable for me.
I will surely read the stories you linked, thank you! Reading your posts is always a great pleasure
I love Lessing! "The Sweetest Dream" is the best depiction I've ever read of a certain kind of narcissistic male "intellectual". "Love, Again" and "The Fifth Child" are also both unforgettable, and both quite different from the communism/Africa/feminist focused material she's best known for. I also really enjoyed her science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction/whatever they are books as well as "The Golden Notebook" of course. There's also a very funny video of her being told that she'd won the Nobel Prize as she gets out of a taxi.
Omg I LOVE that video of her!!! You are clearly a keen reader of Lessing - especially of her wider oeuvre :) What is so interesting about her, I think, is the wide scope of her work. Something for everyone, perhaps.
I actually haven't read any of hers for a while but yes I think I have read most of them at some time or another. They do stay with you. I think she is a very interesting counterpoint to e.g. Drabble and A. S. Byatt, though they were a bit younger. I suppose together belonged to the last few generations where you really had that divide in British authors between those who grew up in England and those who grew up in other parts of the empire and had quite complex identities as a result.
Yes! That's so true. Drabble is someone I've read more widely, and she came to mind instantly when I thought of Lessing. I have a couple of essays on here about Drabble if you haven't read them.
Yes I think there a ways in which she is quite like both Drabble and Byatt (or perhaps both of them put together). Her range was a good deal wider than either of them individually I think. Drabble stuck mainly to excellent, mainstream, essentially character-driven fiction; Byatt wrote much "thinkier" novels but was also fascinated by fable/fairytale, a facet you see in Lessing too. Maybe it's time I read some Lessing again!
I'm re-reading "Under My Skin" and love her record of her earliest years running through the wilds with her brother and dogs, making up stories and a personality she calls "Tigger" who laughs everything off. The horrible schools she's sent away to. Other than her science fiction phase, which didn't interest me, I've read all her books many times.
I plan to read those Lessing short stories you sent links to, although I'm not sure I'll be able to participate in discussion. Although why not? If I read them, I can respond anytime, right? I still think of literary discussion as classroom interchange! My husband and I read mostly the same books and so we have our own little "book club" every morning as we discuss our reading over espresso. Great way to start the day. That's how I grew up - no TV and all eight of the Pedersens either reading aloud or tucked into our own books in our little cabin.
What she did was really transgressive, and I don't quite know what to think about it. The Golden Notebook is the only Lessing I've read, and the stories sound very interesting, Kate.
Thanks, Christine! Yes, she was such a deep thinkers and her books and stories show the depth of her thoughts around women and society.
I liked Lessing's short story "One Off the Short List," which, as I recall, made the BBC out to be a pretty terrible place to work. There is a horrible man involved, but the whole environment seemed pretty unpleasant. Her little tale, "Sunrise on the Veld", presents a beautiful environment with a sobering assessment about what can lie beneath beauty. And yet, Lessing does not seem cynical or disillusioned.
Thank you; yes, she reminds me of Margaret Drabble in her comment of establishments such as the BBC, at least as a place to work as a woman in the 1960s/70s.
Full disclosure: I've never managed to finish The Golden Notebook.
😂 it's a VERY dense book...no judgement here! I struggled through it at times. Some bits I loved (the idea of the woman artist/mother), other bits (the communist politics, etc) I found less interesting. Hopefully you might find her short stories more enjoyable 😉
I must delve into those. Thank you for the recommendation.
I also struggled, it took me a few months to finish it. I wonder if I should read it again (one day) notebook by notebook, just the black one, then the red one etc, the free women part etc... It's a fascinating book, she was a brilliant thinker and an unconventional feminist.
I have often thought of returning to the book myself. As you say, reading the notebooks separately might be a better way of tackling it. I agree; it is a fascinating book, that I am drawn to in part due to Lessing's unconventionally.
Thank you for the links to the short stories, which sound very interesting to discover. I have a copy of the Golden Notebook, but not yet read it. It seems such a huge book to embark on.
Yes! I would say 'The Golden Notebook' may be best either for a time when you want to immerse into a long and deep read, or as an ongoing reading project to dip in and out of. I like another reader's comment saying she planned to take the coloured 'notebooks' of the novel one at a time, which may be a way of breaking it up a little! :)
I have only read The Grass is Singing. I loved it.
Yes, I think that was my first Lessing, too.
I loved African Stories, and also A proper Marriage (to be honest, I preferred the short stories), but Particularly Cats is in my heart. They are not properly short stories and surely the stories of African Stories are superior in terms of composition and emotional impact on the reader, but in Particularly Cats there's a kind of soft warmth that made them unforgettable for me.
I will surely read the stories you linked, thank you! Reading your posts is always a great pleasure
Thank you so much, Stefania! ❤️ yes, I kind of prefer her short stories, which are often long stories anyway!
I love Lessing! "The Sweetest Dream" is the best depiction I've ever read of a certain kind of narcissistic male "intellectual". "Love, Again" and "The Fifth Child" are also both unforgettable, and both quite different from the communism/Africa/feminist focused material she's best known for. I also really enjoyed her science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction/whatever they are books as well as "The Golden Notebook" of course. There's also a very funny video of her being told that she'd won the Nobel Prize as she gets out of a taxi.
Omg I LOVE that video of her!!! You are clearly a keen reader of Lessing - especially of her wider oeuvre :) What is so interesting about her, I think, is the wide scope of her work. Something for everyone, perhaps.
I actually haven't read any of hers for a while but yes I think I have read most of them at some time or another. They do stay with you. I think she is a very interesting counterpoint to e.g. Drabble and A. S. Byatt, though they were a bit younger. I suppose together belonged to the last few generations where you really had that divide in British authors between those who grew up in England and those who grew up in other parts of the empire and had quite complex identities as a result.
Yes! That's so true. Drabble is someone I've read more widely, and she came to mind instantly when I thought of Lessing. I have a couple of essays on here about Drabble if you haven't read them.
Yes I think there a ways in which she is quite like both Drabble and Byatt (or perhaps both of them put together). Her range was a good deal wider than either of them individually I think. Drabble stuck mainly to excellent, mainstream, essentially character-driven fiction; Byatt wrote much "thinkier" novels but was also fascinated by fable/fairytale, a facet you see in Lessing too. Maybe it's time I read some Lessing again!
Totally agree on all of this!! :)
I'm re-reading "Under My Skin" and love her record of her earliest years running through the wilds with her brother and dogs, making up stories and a personality she calls "Tigger" who laughs everything off. The horrible schools she's sent away to. Other than her science fiction phase, which didn't interest me, I've read all her books many times.
It sounds like you are already a great reader of Lessing, Kirie! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am not into the science fiction either.
I plan to read those Lessing short stories you sent links to, although I'm not sure I'll be able to participate in discussion. Although why not? If I read them, I can respond anytime, right? I still think of literary discussion as classroom interchange! My husband and I read mostly the same books and so we have our own little "book club" every morning as we discuss our reading over espresso. Great way to start the day. That's how I grew up - no TV and all eight of the Pedersens either reading aloud or tucked into our own books in our little cabin.
Such an excellent and interesting piece.
❤️