Time Bites: Views and Reviews

“A generous and pleasurable collection. . . . Vibrant and illuminating, with quotable lines on every page. . . . [Lessing is] a superb essayist: lucid, wise, knowledgeable, and witty.”— Booklist

In this collection of the very best of Doris Lessing’s essays we are treated to the wisdom and keen insight of a writer who has learned, over the course of a brilliant career, to read the world differently. From imagining the secret sex life of Tolstoy to the secrets of Sufism, from reviews of classic books to commentaries on world politics, these essays span an impressive range of subjects, cultures, periods, and themes, yet they are remarkably consistent in one key regard: Lessing’s clear-eyed vision and clearly-expressed prose. But in its breadth and precision Time Bites is more: it is also a map of the human spirit and an intimate diagram of the mind of one of our greatest living writers.

What happens when one of the twentieth century’s greatest minds turns her attention to literature, politics, and life itself?

• Essays on Literature: From a sharp-eyed look at Jane Austen’s world to a provocative imagining of Tolstoy’s secret life, Lessing dissects the classics with unparalleled insight.
• Political Insight: Hard-hitting thoughts on censorship, the tragedy of Zimbabwe, and the aftermath of 9/11, penned by a writer who never shied away from difficult truths.
• Sufi Philosophy: A rare exploration of Sufi traditions, revealing the practical, centuries-old wisdom Lessing found in the teachings of the East.
• The Art of Autobiography: Candid reflections on the craft of writing, the slippery nature of memory, and what it means to capture a life on the page.

Winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature, Doris Lessing was one of the most celebrated and distinguished writers of our time, the recipient of a host of international awards. She wrote more than thirty books—among them the novels Martha Quest, The Golden Notebook, and The Fifth Child. She died in 2013.