Willy Maley 'Spark in Love'

Another excellent article from our member Professor Willy Maley:

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/reading/2018/02/muriel-spark-on-love

The Guardian view on Muriel Spark

An excellent editorial from The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/01/the-guardian-view-on-muriel-spark-gauzy-wit-and-philosophical-depth?CMP=share_btn_link

Pitlochry Winter Words

Alan Taylor, Rosemary Goring, Zoe Strachan and Louise Welch will all be discussing Muriel Spark in two different events at Pitlochry Theatre next week and next weekend.

Memento Mori is The Guardian's Reading Group choice

Join in the discussion! 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/feb/06/reading-group-memento-mori-by-muriel-spark-is-februarys-choice?CMP=share_btn_link

Modern Scottish Literary Manuscripts conference

This will be an excellent day in the company of a variety of  Spark experts and enthusiasts.  (In the lunch break take a short walk to the Writers' Museum to see their Spark exhibition too and the memorial stone laid outside.)

  

The Association for Manuscripts and Archives in Research Collections (AMARC; https://amarcsite.wordpress.com/) is organising a one-day meeting on Modern Scottish Literary Manuscripts at the National Library of Scotland on Thursday 19th April 2018.  In addition to various other talks, Dr Colin McIlroy of the NLS will be speaking on the subject of the Muriel Spark archive and will lead a guided tour of the Muriel Spark exhibition.  The registration fee includes morning and afternoon tea and coffee, as well as lunch.  The event is open to non-members (though anyone can join AMARC and we would be delighted to welcome new members).

Our next event 'Addressing Spark'

The Muriel Spark Society's main event of the year is our reception, talk and small exhibition on June 19th, generously hosted by Lyon and Turnbull, Broughton Place, Edinburgh.

The talk and exhibition will consider how important dress and appearance are to Spark's characters.

Invitations to this evening event will be sent only to members of the Society and guests of Lyon and Turnbull.

Centenary Week

A packed week of centenary celebrations should have left nobody in any doubt that Muriel Spark was important.  The Usher Hall event, the BBC 2 Scotland documentary and the Symposium at Glasgow University brought the life and work of Dame Muriel to a wide range of readers.  The diverse range of papers at the Symposium brought so much to light, particularly the talks by Mark Curran, Robert Hosmer, Catriona Macdonald and Helen Stoddard.  Ali Smith enchanted her audience with her discussion with Zoe Strachan.  (Ali's 'Desert Island' book is 'Loitering with Intent')

The Society will bring this week to an end with our annual Birthday Lunch on Sunday 4 February to which we'll be welcoming existing and new members and our guests.  Happy 100th!

Spark Memorial - Letter in The Times