Dame Muriel Spark, DBE (February 1, 1918 – April 13, 2006) was a leading Scottish novelist. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English (de facto) Recognised regional languages Gaelic, Scots1 Demonym Scot, Scots... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ...

Early life

She was born Muriel Sarah Camberg in Edinburgh, to a Jewish father and an Anglican mother, and was educated at James Gillespie's High School for Girls. In 1934-1935 she took a course in "Commercial correspondence and précis writing" at Heriot-Watt College. She taught English for a brief time and then worked as a secretary in a department store.^[1] , Edinburgh (() pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... James Gillespies High School is a secondary school in Marchmont, Edinburgh. ...

On 3 September 1937, she married Sidney Oswald Spark, and soon followed him to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Their son, Robin was born in July 1938. Within months she claimed that her husband was a manic depressive prone to violent outbursts. In 1940 Muriel had left Sydney and Robin. She returned to the United Kingdom in 1944 and worked in intelligence during World War II. She provided money at regular intervals to support her son as he toiled unsuccessfully over the years. Spark maintained it was her intention for her family to set up home in England, Robin returned to Britain with his father later to be brought up by his maternal grandparents in Scotland.^[2][3][4][5] is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English (de facto) Recognised regional languages Gaelic, Scots1 Demonym Scot, Scots...

Writing career

Spark began writing seriously after the war, under her married name, beginning with poetry and literary criticism. In 1947, she became editor of the Poetry Review. In 1954, she decided to join the Roman Catholic Church, which she considered crucial in her development toward becoming a novelist. Penelope Fitzgerald, a contemporary of Spark and a fellow novelist, remarked how Spark "had pointed out that it wasn't until she became a Roman Catholic ... that she was able to see human existence as a whole, as a novelist needs to do."^[6] In an interview with John Tusa on BBC Radio 4, she said of her conversion and its effect on her writing: "I was just a little worried, tentative. Would it be right, would it not be right? Can I write a novel about that — would it be foolish, wouldn't it be? And somehow with my religion — whether one has anything to do with the other, I don't know - but it does seem so, that I just gained confidence…" Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh supported her in her decision. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, a making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Poetry Review. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic... Penelope Fitzgerald (17 December 1916 - 28 April 2000) was an English poet, novelist and biographer. ... Sir John Tusa (born 2 March 1936) is a British television journalist and manager of arts and broadcasting organizations. ... BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... This article is about the writer. ... Evelyn Waugh, as photographed in 1940 by Carl Van Vechten Arthur Evelyn St. ...

Her first novel was The Comforters, was published in 1957. Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) was more successful. Spark displayed originality of subject and tone, and featured a character who knew she was in a novel. Spark told her characters' stories from the past and the future simultaneously. It is clear that James Gillespie's High School was the model for the Marcia Blaine School in the novel. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After living in New York City for some years, she moved to Rome, where she met the artist and sculptor Penelope Jardine in 1968. In the early 1970s they settled in the Italian region of Tuscany and lived in the village of Civitella della Chiana, of which in 2005 Spark was made an honorary citizen. She was the subject of frequent rumours of lesbian relationships^[7] from her time in New York onwards, although Spark and her friends denied their truth. She left her entire estate to Jardine, taking measures to ensure her son received nothing.^[8] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Tuscany (Italian: ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. ...

She refused to agree to the publication of a biography of her written by Martin Stannard. Penelope Jardine now has the right of approval to publication and the book is unlikely to appear soon. According to A. S. Byatt, "She was very upset by the book and had to spend a lot of time going through it, line by line, to try to make it a little bit fairer". ^[9] For A. Byatt, the director of French documentary films, see Andy Byatt. ...

She received the US Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the British Literature Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Relationship with her son

Spark and her son had strained relationship. They had a falling out when Robin's Judaism prompted him to petition for his late grandmother to be recognized as Jewish. The devout Catholic Spark reacted by accusing him of seeking publicity to further his career as an artist.^[10] During one of her last book signings in Edinburgh she responded to an enquiry from a journalist asking if she would see her son by saying 'I think I know how best to avoid him by now'.^[11][12][13] It was reported in the Daily Mail on April 22, 2006 that her only son Robin, 68, had not attended her funeral service in Tuscany. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... , Edinburgh (() pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. ... The Daily Mail is a British newspaper and the oldest tabloid, first published in 1896. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Literary Works

See also: 1956 in literature, other events of 1957, 1958 in literature, list of years in literature. ... ). Categories: Stub ... See also: 1958 in literature, other events of 1959, 1960 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Wikibooks has a book on the topic of The Ballad of Peckham Rye The Ballad of Peckham Rye is a novel written in 1960 by the Scottish author Muriel Spark. ... See also: 1959 in literature, other events of 1960, 1961 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Bachelors is a novel written in 1960 by the Scottish author Muriel Spark. ... See also: 1959 in literature, other events of 1960, 1961 in literature, list of years in literature. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... See also: 1960 in literature, other events of 1961, 1962 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1962 in literature, other events of 1963, 1964 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1964 in literature, other events of 1965, 1966 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1967 in literature, other events of 1968, 1969 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Drivers Seat is a novella by Muriel Spark. ... See also: 1969 in literature, other events of 1970, 1971 in literature, list of years in literature. ... [Image:http://www. ... See also: 1970 in literature, other events of 1971, 1972 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1972 in literature, other events of 1973, 1974 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1973 in literature, other events of 1974, 1975 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1975 in literature, other events of 1976, 1977 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1978 in literature, other events of 1979, 1980 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1980 in literature, other events of 1981, 1982 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1983 in literature, other events of 1984, 1985 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1987 in literature, other events of 1988, 1989 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1990 in literature, other events of 1991, 1992 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1995 in literature, other events of 1996, 1997 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Aiding and Abetting, is a novel by Muriel Spark. ... See also: 1999 in literature, other events of 2000, 2001 in literature, list of years in literature. ... // Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghes The Last Crossing to be read across the nation. ... Derek Stanford (born 1918) is an English writer, known as a biographer, essayist and poet. ... See also: 1949 in literature, other events of 1950, 1951 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1950 in literature, other events of 1951, 1952 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1951 in literature, other events of 1952, 1953 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1951 in literature, other events of 1952, 1953 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1952 in literature, other events of 1953, 1954 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1952 in literature, other events of 1953, 1954 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1952 in literature, other events of 1953, 1954 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1953 in literature, other events of 1954, 1955 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1956 in literature, other events of 1957, 1958 in literature, list of years in literature. ... ). Categories: Stub ... See also: 1960 in literature, other events of 1961, 1962 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1962 in literature, other events of 1963, 1964 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1966 in literature, other events of 1967, 1968 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1966 in literature, other events of 1967, 1968 in literature, list of years in literature. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1981 in literature, other events of 1982, 1983 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1981 in literature, other events of 1982, 1983 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1991 in literature, other events of 1992, 1993 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 2000 in literature, other events of 2001, 2002 in literature, list of years in literature. ... // Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghes The Last Crossing to be read across the nation. ...

References

BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• About "The Black Madonna" Interpretations of and more background information on the short story.
• Jewish Chronicle, March 13 1998, page 1, "Discovered: a lost chapter in L'chaim of Miss Jean Brodie"