Muriel Spark was a prolific Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet whose darkly comedic voice made her one of the most distinctive writers of the twentieth century. Her work often delves into the complexities of human nature and society, frequently employing absurdity and irony. Spark masterfully wielded language, crafting unforgettable characters and narratives that provoke thought in the reader. Her unique style and profound insight into the human psyche establish her as a significant literary voice of her era.
It is perhaps her short stories that demonstrate her gifts best: wit, perception, acute characterisation, elegance and precision. They mark her out as one of the finest writers of her generation Observer
In the summer of 1816, aged nineteen, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. A pioneering work of science fiction, it captured the popular imagination from the start. The daughter of radical philosopher William Godwin and pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley lived an unconventional life marred by tragedy. At sixteen she scandalised ..
The divine Spark is shining at her brightest . . . Pure delight' Claire Tomalin, INDEPENDENT
Sir Quentin Oliver steals the manuscript of Fleur Talbot's novel, "Warrender Chase". What sinister use will he make of it? Or, more tantalizing still, what if fiction were to overpower trust and Fleur's novel appropriate him?
Lise has been driven to distraction by working in the same accountants' office for sixteen years. So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime. But her search for adventure, sex and the obsessional experience takes on a far darker significance.
She was a schoolmistress with a difference. Proud, cultured, romantic, her ideas were progressive, even shocking. And when she decided to transform a group of young girls under her tutelage into the 'creme de la creme' of Marcia Blaine school, no one could have predicted the outcome.
An election is held at the abbey of Crewe and the new lady abbess takes up her high office with implacable serenity. This is a satirical fantasy about ecclesiastical and other kinds of politics. The author has also written "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and "Girls of Slender Means".
As the guests assemble at American painter Hurley Reed's London dinner party, they wonder about the lateness of Hilda Damien, who at the moment is being murdered. By the author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Reprint.
In the May of Teck Club -- a London hostel 'three times window shattered since 1940 but never directly hit' -- the young lady residents do their best to act as if the war never happened -- Back cover.
