Doris Lessing (1919 – 2013) was born in Persia, raised in Rhodesia and spent many years in London. Her first novel, The Grass is Singing, was published in 1950 and had a literary breakthrough with The Golden Notebook (1962), now considered a feminist classic.

When she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007 the jury described her as “that epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny.” In 2008 The Times put her at number five in the list of “The 50 Greatest British Writers since 1945.”

Doris Lessing long used her platform as an outspoken opponent of apartheid in South Africa, and spoke regularly about the subject. Her brilliance runs through all her work; here are some quotes from her various works to prove the point. Read More→