"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.
Industry Reviews
"Eloquent, worthy essays." -- Seattle Times "There's much to enjoy in this collection of essays."--New York Times Book Review "Eloquent, worthy essays."--Seattle Times "Refreshing and invigorating... An invaluable collection.."--Los Angeles Times Book Review "Lessing has a first-rate critical mind. Her social and political observations are acute."--Miami Herald "Full of that sympathy for the human condition that informs her fiction... Each of these pieces is worth reading."--The Times (London) "In these pieces, we hear the tough, uncompromising... courageous voice that has made Lessing an icon for freedom of thought."--Elaine Showalter, Times Literary Supplement (London) "Remarkably cohesive . . . one comes away with a real sense of who Lessing is. . . . [A] humane and truly internationalist book."--Peter Parker, Sunday Times (London) "A clarion call . . . Declaimed in Lessing's brisk, wry voice and articulated with pragmatic intelligence."--Publishers Weekly Refreshing and invigorating... An invaluable collection.. --Los Angeles Times Book Review" Lessing has a first-rate critical mind. Her social and political observations are acute. --Miami Herald" There s much to enjoy in this collection of essays. --New York Times Book Review" A clarion call . . . Declaimed in Lessing s brisk, wry voice and articulated with pragmatic intelligence. --Publishers Weekly" Full of that sympathy for the human condition that informs her fiction... Each of these pieces is worth reading. --The Times (London)" In these pieces, we hear the tough, uncompromising... courageous voice that has made Lessing an icon for freedom of thought. --Elaine Showalter, Times Literary Supplement (London)" Remarkably cohesive . . . one comes away with a real sense of who Lessing is. . . . [A] humane and truly internationalist book. --Peter Parker, Sunday Times (London)" Eloquent, worthy essays. --Seattle Times"