Ventnor Library’s Reading Group met in the St Boniface Arms on the 12th December to discuss the works of Doris Lessing, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature this year at long last – she commented that she supposed that she was so old that they probably thought “they should!”
This is a brief flavour of what was said among the Group.
…what a fascinating woman …of her time..but what breadth of work..
..the works seem autobiographical….what a strange relationship with the child (The Fifthe child & Ben) ….does it reflect her own relationship with the children she left? …also there seems strain of mental illness or isolation running through a lot of the work ..is that her own experience?..
..the descriptions of Africa are superb..
I have to say I was irritated by Alice in “The Good Terrorist” ..the hypocrisy of the other characters…the situation she had got herself into! ..
..wonderful stuff..her characterisation is so well observed, but so bleak..
she deserves the Nobel Prize …you can’t blame her for bring so cynical after all these years…
..it is so easy to read..it flows..exceptional writing….
