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To Room Nineteen

Collected Stories Volume One

Doris Lessing author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers

Published:19th Aug '02

Should be back in stock very soon

To Room Nineteen cover

This collection showcases Doris Lessing's sharp insights into human relationships, featuring stories that illuminate the complexities of life and love.

In To Room Nineteen, Doris Lessing presents a captivating collection of her most poignant short stories, showcasing her remarkable talent as a storyteller. This compilation spans her prolific career, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of human relationships and the intricacies of everyday life. Lessing's keen observations and insightful narratives provide a mirror reflecting the passions and confusions that define our existence.

For over four decades, Lessing's work has delved deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of love, loss, and the struggles of modern life. In this collection, stories like 'To Room Nineteen' examine the nuances of a seemingly perfect middle-class marriage, highlighting the underlying tensions that can exist within. Meanwhile, 'A Woman on the Roof' presents a more shocking narrative, where obsession and desire intertwine, revealing the darker aspects of human nature.

This anthology serves as a testament to Doris Lessing's literary genius, capturing the essence of her perspective on the human condition. Each story is a finely crafted piece that resonates with readers, inviting them to reflect on their own experiences and the complexities of their relationships. To Room Nineteen is not just a collection of stories; it is an exploration of life itself, rendered with empathy and profound insight.

‘The stories in “To Room Nineteen” are part of the intellectual apparatus of anybody alive in England in the Fifties. I can’t begin to evaluate some of them objectively; “The Habit of Loving” and the dazzlingly cynical “One Off The Shortlist” shaped the way I, for one, perceived the world.’ Angela Carter, Guardian

‘A major collection – rich, perceptive and cruelly honest. For Doris Lessing, private lives, private sins and private blisses are aspects of history, so that even in short stories, she is a chronicler of her time and its conscience too.’ Lorna Sage, Observer

‘On sex, Doris Lessing has few equals in understanding not only desire, but the rest – boredom, disappointment, erotic fury. On every subject there is a selfless, composed quality about her writing, a special combination of indignation and compassion.’ Diane Johnson, New York Times

ISBN: 9780007143009

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 22mm

Weight: 270g

400 pages