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§Author· 5 books
Doris Lessing
Doris Lessing was born in Kermanshah, Persia (now Iran). Her father was a bank clerk and her mother a nurse. Her family later moved to Southern Rhodesia in 1925. Doris Lessing attended a convent school and a girls' school, but ended her studies at age 14 and moved from home. She went on to work as a nursemaid, telephonist, stenographer, and journalist, and published a few short stories. Lessing moved to London in 1949. She became involved in politics and social issues and actively took part in the campaign against nuclear weapons. Doris Lessing was married twice and had three children.
Doris Lessing's body of work comprises around 50 books and spans several genres. Her writing is characterized by penetrating studies of living conditions in the 20th century, behavioral patterns, and historical developments. Her most experimental novel, The Golden Notebook, from 1962, is a study of a woman's psyche and life situation, the lot of writers, sexuality, political ideas, and everyday life. Some of Lessing's books reach into the future. Among other things, she portrays our civilization's final hour from the perspective of an extraterrestrial observer.
§All Books
The Golden Notebook
Doris Lessing, 1962
27 ratings
The Grass Is Singing
Doris Lessing, 1950
17 ratings
Re
Doris Lessing, 1979
4 ratings
Shikasta (Canopus in Argos: Archives Series, Book 1): Re-colonised Planet 5
Doris Lessing, 1979
4 ratings
§ About Doris Lessing's books
- Books on SansFiction
- 5
- Published
- 1950–1979
- Average rating
- 3.7 / 5 across 53 ratings
- Genres
- Classics, General, Women, Feminist Literature
Start here: The Golden Notebook (1962)
Anna is a writer, author of one very successful novel, who now keeps four notebooks. In one, with a black cover, she reviews the African experience of her earlier year. In a red one she records her political life, her disillusionment with communism. In a yellow one she writes a novel in which the heroine reviles part of her own experience.
Common questions about Doris Lessing
- Who is Doris Lessing?
- Doris Lessing's body of work comprises around 50 books and spans several genres. Her writing is characterized by penetrating studies of living conditions in the 20th century, behavioral patterns, and historical developments. Her most experimental novel, The Golden Notebook, from 1962, is a study of a woman's psyche and life situation, the lot of writers, sexuality, political ideas, and everyday life.
- What is Doris Lessing best known for?
- Doris Lessing is best known for The Golden Notebook, published in 1962 with 27 ratings and a 3.9 average. It is the most-rated of Doris Lessing's books on SansFiction.
- How many books has Doris Lessing written?
- SansFiction lists 5 books by Doris Lessing, published between 1950 and 1979. The most popular are The Golden Notebook, The Grass Is Singing, Re, Shikasta (Canopus in Argos: Archives Series, Book 1): Re-colonised Planet 5 and The Diaries of Jane Somers: The Diary of a Good Neighbor and If The Old Could.
- Which Doris Lessing book should I read first?
- The Golden Notebook is the usual place to start: it is Doris Lessing's most-rated book here, with a 3.9 average.
- What genres does Doris Lessing write?
- Doris Lessing's books on SansFiction are tagged Classics, General, Women and Feminist Literature.
Explore: Classics · General · Women · Feminist Literature