60 Years of MIss Jean Brodie ...

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1961. I am delighted to announce the Muriel Spark Society will be marking the event with a lecture hosted by the National Library of Scotland on October 5. Presently we are planning an online event at 5pm, but who knows, perhaps we may all be able to meet? Our speaker will be Norma Allan, who recnetly published a history of her alma mater, James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh. Her book, "Box Hats and Blue Stockings" was published in 2019. I will post more details as they are firmed up.

Muriel Spark's Early Fiction: literary subversion and experiments with form ...

Dr James Bailey has kindly been in touch to announce his reent book on Dame Muriel's fiction,published at the end of last month by Edinburgh University Press. Here is the information from his publisher: A compelling reappraisal of Spark’s approach to literary experimentation Offers a distinctive reappraisal of Spark’s fiction, which challenges the rigid critical framework that has long been applied to her writing Interrogates how Spark’s literary innovations work to facilitate moments of subversive satire and gendered social critique Presents nuanced re-readings of some of Spark’s major works, as well as lesser-discussed texts such as her only stage play, Doctors of Philosophy, and early short stories Draws upon detailed archival research to offer a unique insight into the social contexts and personal preoccupations that informed Spark’s writing This book presents a detailed critical analysis of a period of significant formal and thematic innovation in Muriel Spark’s literary career. Spanning the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, it identifies formative instances of literary experimentation in texts including The Comforters, The Driver’s Seat and The Public Image, with an emphasis on metafiction and the influence of the nouveau roman. As the first critical study to draw extensively on Spark’s vast archives of correspondence, manuscripts and research, it provides a unique insight into the social contexts and personal concerns that dictated her fiction. I have invited Dr Bailey to speak to the Society, and will post details when we can arrange a date.