About
Muriel Spark, born Muriel Sarah Camberg in Edinburgh in 1918, is a major figure in Scottish literature. After an unhappy marriage in Southern Rhodesia, she returned to Britain and worked as editor of the Poetry Review. Her conversion to Catholicism in 1954 deeply influenced her work. Her first novel, The Comforters, appeared in 1957, but it was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) that made her famous, adapted into a film with Maggie Smith. She received many honors, including a damehood in 1993. Settled in Italy, she wrote 22 novels before dying in Florence in 2006.
* 1918-02-01 — † 2006-04-13
Major works
- The Fanfarlo and Other Verse (1952)poetry
- The Comforters (1957)novel
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961)novel
- The Mandelbaum Gate (1965)novel
Key milestones
- 1954Converted to Roman Catholicism.
- 1993Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
- 2006Died in Florence, Italy.
Themes
CatholicismScottish identityMemory and historyPower and influenceIrony and satire
Sources: nls.uk · webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk · carcanet.co.uk