{"title":"Muriel Spark","description":"\u003cp\u003eMuriel Spark’s fiction is marked by sharp wit and a masterful use of irony, exploring the complexities of human nature and social dynamics with precision and dark humour. From the enigmatic charm of \u003cem\u003eThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie\u003c\/em\u003e to the cleverly macabre tales in \u003cem\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/em\u003e, her novels invite readers into worlds where the ordinary collides with the extraordinary, often revealing unsettling truths beneath the surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer writing spans genres and audiences, touching on themes of identity, morality, and the subtle tensions of everyday life. 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So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime. 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Losing not one, but two, much-sought-after literary jobs, Mrs Hawkins finds herself embroiled in a mystery involving anonymous letters, quack remedies and blackmail. Years later, and a far cry from Kensington, she looks back with a sharp and mischievous eye at the cost of telling the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntroduced by Ali Smith.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Mercurially funny, playful and mischievous' – Ali Smith\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I was in heaven reading this book... just blissful' – Stephen Fry\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Funny, astringent, shrewd, her take on life is wonderfully bracing' – William Boyd\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Wonderfully entertaining' – \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An outstanding novel... \u003ci\u003eA Far Cry From Kensington\u003c\/i\u003e has an effortless, translucent grasp of the spirit of the period' – \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The divine Spark is shining at her brightest... 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The war is grinding to a halt, and the city begins to embrace the hordes who gather to hear the political speeches of the day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd in the tightly-knit world of a Kensington hostel, a bevy of well-bred girls of slender means and intriguing morals are leading lives of ritual femininity, plotting amongst themselves for the suitors who call to confer favours of clothing coupons, meals and more—until the interlude of innocence is destroyed by the tragedy and horror of the times...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Girls Of Slender Means\u003c\/em\u003e explores the delicate balance between innocence and experience, framed against the backdrop of a city and people emerging from the shadows of war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46533079236844,"sku":"9780241989128","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3604823482274.jpg?v=1749365484"},{"product_id":"prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-by-muriel-spark-9781857152746","title":"Prime of Miss Jean Brodie","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Muriel Spark's novels, the brevity is only equalled by the brilliance. 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It demands rediscovery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"It's easy to see why Waugh admired \u003cem\u003eThe Bachelors\u003c\/em\u003e. On one level, it is a blithely carnivorous satire in the Waugh mould. The bachelors of the title – almost the only men we meet in the narrative – are the thirty-something male barristers, teachers, journalists, and museum attendants of a small patch of West London. They lead inturned, doddery, superannuated lives, pottering between grocers, coffee-houses, bedsits, and the houses of their mothers and aunts. But the comedy here is serious in a way that Waugh's satanically energetic comedies of misery rarely are... comedies of English manners have seldom been darker\" \u003cem\u003e- Daily Telegraph\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"My admiration for Spark's contribution to world literature knows no bounds. She was peerless, sparkling, inventive and intelligent – the creme de la creme\" - Ian Rankin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Muriel Spark's novels linger in the mind as brilliant shards, decisive as a smashed glass is decisive\" - John Updike, \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46552351703276,"sku":"9781782117551","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13876133482822.jpg?v=1750042100"},{"product_id":"memento-mori-by-muriel-spark-9780349010342","title":"Memento Mori","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRemember you must die.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDame Lettie Colston is the first of her circle to receive insinuating anonymous phone calls. Neither she, nor her friends, wish to be reminded of their mortality, and their geriatric feathers are thoroughly ruffled. As the caller's activities become more widespread, old secrets are dusted off, exposing past and present duplicities, self-deception, and blackmail. Nobody is above suspicion.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWitty, poignant, and wickedly hilarious, \u003cem\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/em\u003e may ostensibly concern death, but it is a book which leaves one relishing life all the more.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBooks included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: \u003cem\u003eFrost in May\u003c\/em\u003e by Antonia White; \u003cem\u003eThe Collected Stories of Grace Paley\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eFire from Heaven\u003c\/em\u003e by Mary Renault; \u003cem\u003eThe Magic Toyshop\u003c\/em\u003e by Angela Carter; \u003cem\u003eThe Weather in the Streets\u003c\/em\u003e by Rosamond Lehmann; \u003cem\u003eDeep Water\u003c\/em\u003e by Patricia Highsmith; \u003cem\u003eThe Return of the Soldier\u003c\/em\u003e by Rebecca West; \u003cem\u003eTheir Eyes Were Watching God\u003c\/em\u003e by Zora Neale Hurston; \u003cem\u003eHeartburn\u003c\/em\u003e by Nora Ephron; \u003cem\u003eThe Dud Avocado\u003c\/em\u003e by Elaine Dundy; \u003cem\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/em\u003e by Muriel Spark; \u003cem\u003eA View of the Harbour\u003c\/em\u003e by Elizabeth Taylor; and \u003cem\u003eFaces in the Water\u003c\/em\u003e by Janet Frame.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46712631066860,"sku":"9780349010342","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6556943482312.jpg?v=1754300385"},{"product_id":"sparks-europe-by-muriel-spark-9781782117650","title":"Spark's Europe","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the grimly gothic \u003cem\u003eDo Not Disturb\u003c\/em\u003e to the razor-sharp dissection of manners in \u003cem\u003eThe Takeover\u003c\/em\u003e and the mordantly brilliant \u003cem\u003eThe Only Problem\u003c\/em\u003e, in a panoramic sweep taking in the shores of the Italian lakes to the castles of Geneva, Muriel Spark casts her unflinching gaze over the continent and onto some of the odder specimens of human nature abounding there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy turns savage, witty and profound, \u003cem\u003eSpark's Europe\u003c\/em\u003e reaffirms Muriel Spark as one of the most important novelists of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46715009335532,"sku":"9781782117650","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/befd3caa3b01a6c53c163c456e16de90.jpg?v=1754431979"},{"product_id":"the-bachelors-by-muriel-spark-9781846974298","title":"The Bachelors","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpiritualist and extortionist Patrick Seton is coming up for trial. 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They also trace her development from little-known poet to celebrated novelist, with glittering insights into the emergence of her unique literary voice, as well as her relationships with friends, lovers, writers and publishers.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected from her extensive correspondence and insightfully edited and annotated, this is an essential read for anyone interested in Spark's work and world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR VOLUME 1: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[An] immaculately-edited collection . . . Feisty, fun-filled, witty and, of course, sparky, the letters are a window into a remarkable life that was lived in devotion to literature'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eALAN TAYLOR, author of\u003ci\u003e Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'What an extraordinary life of adventure the young Muriel Spark led. These funny and fraught early letters capture her triumphs and disasters vast and small, not to mention the curious predicaments--personal, artistic, familial--to which she seemed fated. A marvelous book'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSEPH O'NEILL\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003ci\u003eLetters\u003c\/i\u003e is a marvel. Taking in faith, love, fame and feuds, Spark's letters reveal her life to be every bit as compelling as the novels she wrote' JAMES BAILEY, author of \u003ci\u003eLike a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Meticulously edited . . . The letters invited an investigation into both the life and the work' RACHEL CUSK, \u003ci\u003eNEW YORKER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Fascinating . . . edited with exemplary attention to detail by Dan Gunn. There are delightful touches throughout' \u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e'The book I wanted not to end was \u003c\/i\u003eThe Letters of Muriel Spark (Virago), superbly edited by Dan Gunn, spanning 1944 to 1963. She was fun, she was charming, and if you weren't careful - sometimes even if you were - she was vengeful'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJAMES CAMPBELL, \u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e Books of the Year 2025\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Wonderful . . . An eye-opening reflection of her daily life and an important contribution to her literature' \u003ci\u003eSCOTTISH SUNDAY POST\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e'A must-read' \u003ci\u003eSTANDARD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Gunn faced a formidable task in distilling into two volumes a\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47363121479916,"sku":"9780349014340","price":90.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/d790171296c26f92795d7bc521d578e5.jpg?v=1772931508"},{"product_id":"the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-by-muriel-spark-9781846977183","title":"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdinburgh, 1930, and the world is on the brink of change. Leading the charge is the glamorous, free-spirited Miss Jean Brodie, schoolteacher at the Marcia Blaine Academy, whose guiding principle is 'Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she'll be mine for life. I am dedicated to you in my prime.' While Miss Brodie manipulates and charms 'her girls'  known as the Brodie Set  with notions of romance and heroism, tragedy and a cruel betrayal beckon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is one of the 22 novels written by Muriel Spark in her lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47363138715884,"sku":"9781846977183","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13e162e61fe4471b338951fb80ac78c9.jpg?v=1772931443"},{"product_id":"the-very-fine-clock-by-muriel-spark-9798893380262","title":"The Very Fine Clock","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo stars team up—Muriel Spark and Edward Gorey—to bring the charming tale of Ticky the clock to life in this children's classic.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOnce there was a very fine clock named Ticky, who lived with Professor Horace John Morris and kept perfect time. Each night, at fourteen minutes past ten, his time was used to set the rest of the clocks in the house. When the professor's friends suggest that Ticky be made a professor, too, he explains what really happens during the quiet hours of the day when the professor is out, when all the rooms have been cleaned and dusted, and the clocks talk to one another and tell the stories of their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNo artist is better suited to capture Ticky's quiet stateliness and grace than Edward Gorey, who brings this tale masterfully to life through his characteristic pen and ink drawings. Full of wit, wisdom, and affairs of the heart, \u003ci\u003eThe Very Fine Clock\u003c\/i\u003e is a very fine picture book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487675728108,"sku":"9798893380262","price":53.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/0d92b2f001789d122403bc16e0f423de.jpg?v=1775770684"},{"product_id":"the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-by-muriel-spark-9780061711299","title":"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMuriel Spark's classic novel, widely hailed as one of the twentieth century's best\u003c\/strong\u003e—the story of a young, unorthodox teacher and her special—and ultimately dangerous—relationship with six of her students.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the staid Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, teacher extraordinaire Miss Jean Brodie is unmistakably, and outspokenly, in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in her dedication to \u003cem\u003eher girls\u003c\/em\u003e, the students she selects to be her crème de la crème.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFanatically devoted, each member of the Brodie set—Eunice, Jenny, Mary, Monica, Rose, and Sandy—is \"famous for something,\" and Miss Brodie strives to bring out the best in each one. Determined to instil in them independence, passion, and ambition, Miss Brodie advises her girls, \"Safety does not come first. Goodness, truth, and beauty come first. Follow me.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd they do. But one of them will betray her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47648075743468,"sku":"9780061711299","price":50.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780061711299-the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie.jpg?v=1779249608"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/muriel-spark.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}