I’m back with another year long reading event – and as ever I would love some company. Can I tempt you?
Earlier this year I read The Driver’s Seat and A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark, I loved them. My only other experience with Muriel Spark was years ago when I read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which I liked but didn’t love – and perhaps put me off reading more. I was clearly wrong to have been put off and now I think is the time to get to grips with this fascinating writer. 2018 is Muriel Spark’s centenary and there is already a lot of celebrations planned.
Those of you on Twitter can follow @MurielSpark100 for news of events –(#MurielSpark100) there is for instance an exhibition at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. Virago books are bringing out a few new editions of Muriel Spark novels (though I haven’t been able to discover which ones) and Polygon books are in the process of releasing 22 books in recognition of Sparks 100th birthday – the first four are already out and available through their website or from the usual large online retailer.
Anyway, I’m jumping on the bandwagon with a little reading event. Of course, not everyone will want to sign up to a yearlong event – that’s my own peculiar piece of madness. A year long event of course allows people to dip in and out as they are able – though if anyone can keep me company for the whole period I would be delighted. If you did want to keep pace with me throughout the year – the minimum you would need to read is six books – in fact during phase four (see below) you could just read a couple of poems or one short story.
After my experience with #Woolfalong I’m dividing the year up into six two-month phases. People can choose which books to read in each category.
Phase 1 (January/February) Early novels – 1950s
• The Comforters (1957)
• Robinson (1958)
• Memento Mori (1959)
Phase 2. (March/April) 1960s
• The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960)
• The Bachelors (1960)
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961)
• The Girls of Slender Means (1963)
• The Mandelbaum Gate (1965)
• The Public Image (1968)
Phase 3 (May/June) 1970s
• The Driver’s Seat (1970)
• Not To Disturb (1971)
• The Hothouse by the East River (1973)
• The Abbess of Crewe (1974)
• The Takeover (1976)
• Territorial Rights (1979)
Phase 4 (July/August) short stories/ poetry/essays
Various collections available including:
Complete poems
Complete short stories
The Golden fleece – essays
Going up to Sotherby’s and other poems
Phase 5 (September/October) 1980s/1990s
• Loitering with Intent (1981) – shortlisted for Booker Prize
• The Only Problem (1984)
• A Far Cry From Kensington (1988)
. Symposium (1990)
. Reality and dreams (1996)
Phase 6 (November/December) later novels/autobiography/biography
Final two novels
• Aiding and Abetting (2000)
• The Finishing School (2004)
or
Curriculum Vitae – autobiography
Appointment in Arezzo: a friendship with Muriel Spark – Alan Taylor
Muriel Spark the biography by Martin Stannard
I really hope a few of you will join me in this – I love an internet read-a-long. I will be putting a copy of the above schedule on a separate page on my blog so that I and anyone else can refer to it when needed.
I feel I need a hashtag – but with so many Muriel Spark centenary celebrations around it could get confusing – there are already several others doing the rounds. So, I have settled on #readingMuriel2018 hoping it will be easy for people to remember and not get mixed up with the others. I don’t want to step on any toes.
Wow! I’m so impressed by your planning Ali. I’m planning a post for her birthday next year but I’ll join in with this too.
Like you, I liked The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but its the other novels of hers that I’ve enjoyed a lot more. The Driver’s Seat was so disturbing and I adored The Ballad of Peckham Rye. Should be a great year of celebration for this wonderful writer!
Well I do enjoy organising a read-a-long. I’m glad I had a rest this year after the whole #Woolfalong thing in 2016 but I’m ready for another one now.
How can I resist, Ali, when the Woolfalong was such a stunner. I read 3 Sparks, all from the March, April section. I really read and re-loved, Jean Brodie fairly recently, but Peckham Rye, which like Madame Bibi, I adored, has to be read again, and also Slender Means, which I can’t remember clearly. For the rest, it will be new ventures. Thank you Ali, a great sparky adventure awaits!
Great to have you joining in. I have ordered three of those Polygon editions (oops) so shall have books for phases 1 and 2 arriving soon.
Ps, as evidence of good intent – just ordered a pre loved Memento Mori , elderly copy, from a market place seller. I will be ready!
Well done for organising this! Except for phase 5, there’s at least one Spark novel I’ve yet to read for every phase – so I’m sure I’ll join in somewhere!
Excellent will be brilliant to have you joining in. I am hoping a few books will also fit into my century in books list. I have definitely decided to do 1919- 2018 ( now worried all my books are mid 50s!).
I’ll be joining in with this and plan to do at least one book in every phase. The only Spark I have read is the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, so should be good to try more of hers. Thanks for organising.
Fantastic Sam, so glad you’ll be joining us I’m glad I’m not alone in having not read much by Muriel Spark.
I am a lurker, not a blogger, but I will read along. I’ve read seven Spark novels this year and have six more tbr. I haven’t read her short stories or autobiography and will look for them.
You certainly don’t have to be a blogger to join in. Great to have you with us Grier.
I’ve attempted to listen to Memento Mori twice, but I didn’t get on with the narrator. I’ll pick a different book for this event, maybe something from Phase 2. Looking forward to it!
I really hope you try something else that suits you better.
Hello everyone,
It’s Vikki from Polygon Books here (otherwise known as @bookyvikki on Twitter!) We are so excited to be working on the Centenary Editions and so glad that they’re getting a great reception from readers and booksellers across the country! Just thought I’d let you know our publishing schedule for each one, and let you know which writer is writing the introduction to each of them!
The Comforters, introduced by Allan Massie – out now
Robinson, introduced by Candia McWilliam – out now
Memento Mori, introduced by Zoe Strachan – out now
The Ballad of Peckham Rye, introduced by Ronald Frame – out now
A Far Cry From Kensington, introduced by William Boyd – out next week (we’re doing this one out of order as it is BBC Book at Bedtime in January)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, introduced by James Wood – out early February
The Bachelors, introduced by James Campbell – out early February
The Girls of Slender Means, introduced by Rosemary Goring – out mid-February
The Mandelbaum Gate, introduced by Gabriel Josipovici – out mid-February
The Public Image, introduced by Lucy Ellman – out March
The Driver’s Seat, introduced by Andrew O’ Hagan – out March
Not to Disturb, introduced by Dan Gunn – out May
The Hothouse by the East River, introduced by Ian Rankin – out May
The Abbess of Crewe, introduced by Ali Smith – out June
The Takeover, introducer TBC – out June
Territorial Rights, introduced by Kapka Kassabova – out July
Loitering With Intent, introduced by Joseph Kanon – out July
The Only Problem, introduced by Richard Holloway – out August
Symposium, introduced by Alexander McCall Smith – out August
Reality and Dreams, introducer TBC – out September
Aiding and Abetting, introduced by Louise Welsh – out September
The Finishing School, introduced by Jackie Kay – out September
And if I can get all shamelessly self-promotion for a second (!!), they are all at the very lovely price of £9.99!
Anyhoo, I am definitely joining in the discussion, and can’t wait for it to begin!
Thank you Vikki – those new editions look great.
What a great idea! I love Muriel Spark. A Far Cry from Kensington is one of my many favorite books. I look forward to it.
Sent from my iPad
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Great, lovely to have you on board too Kat. I absolutely loved A Far Cry from Kensington too.
What fun! I love Spark so will join in when I can! I think structuring this like the Woolfalong is a great idea because that worked so well.
Yes I think this way of doing it works so stuck with what I know. Glad you will be joining in at least for some of it.
This sounds exciting. Can I ask you how this works please? My design agency Hillside has just created the promotional campaign for NLS’ The International Style of Muriel Spark’ and we have become fascinated by her work! The first book I read was the Driver’s Seat which was just mindblowing!
Well if people choose what books they want to read for each phase. Then they can talk about it on social media using the hashtags, put comments on here or on their Good reads reviews. Bloggers will talk about the books they have read on their blogs. People join in with these kinds of things in whatever way works for them.
The Driver’s Seat was mindblowing.
Can I join please. I love Spark. Have already read the marvellous Momentous Mori but will put The Comforters and Robinson on my January list
Brilliant, lovely to have you reading with us Lynda. 😀
I’ll try! I have the books for most of the phases.
Wow, well having the books is a brilliant start. 😀
I’m in! I read three Sparks this year, including A Far Cry From Kensington, which is one of my favorite reads this year. Would love to read more Muriel Spark!
Fantastic! A Far Cry from Kensington was so good wasn’t it. Looking forward to reading more by Spark.
This is a lovely idea to dovetail with the centenary. Well done for suggesting it. Ali. 🙂
The LT virago group did a chronological readalong for both Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Pym’s centenary, it was excellent.
What a good idea. I, as with some of other comments, have only read Miss Jean Brodie and have always intended to read some others. I already have a copy of A Far Cry From Kensington and have just ordered Momento Mori with the A. L. Kennedy introduction. Looking forward to it and thanks for the push!
So glad you will be joining in too.
I’ll join in. I’ve read a lot of her books but I see that I haven’t read any from phase 3 at all. I’ll be going to the Spark Exhibition in Edinburgh next week.
Will be lovely to have you join in with phase 3. I really envy you that exhibition. If I hadn’t already got four short breaks planned for next year I would be considering a little trip North.
This looks terrific. I’ve only read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and have the Everyman edition with three other novels, so I’d very much like to join in. What a wonderful idea! I’ll try to get the earlier novels.
Excellent, lovely to have so many people wanting to join in.
I’m very tempted by this (I’d considered something similar) though I probably won’t re-read those which are already on my blog (Robinson, Comforters, Driver’s Seat, Public Image). Hopefully that gives me more chance of reading the rest!
Oh yes, I hope you do. There are so many Muriel Spark books I still have to read myself.
[…] The blog post – Ali is planning a Muriel Spark year-long readalong in 2018. As with the Woolfalong, you can join in whenever you like. I’ve read lots (maybe […]
I’d love to join in – Muriel Spark is one of my favourite authors. My dilemma now is shall I re-read the novels I know and (mostly) love, or shall I take the opportunity to read some of the others…!
I understand that dilemma, though I personally have read very few of her books. Re-reading favourites is such a joy.
Count me in! Somewhere along the line at least.
That’s great, somewhere along the line is perfect. 😀
I enjoyed the Woolfalong greatly so I may drop in on this, depending on my other reading commitments. Thanks you so much for organising the proceedings.
Caroline at Bookword.
Will be lovely to have you joining in again. 😀
I’m impressed by how much thought you’ve given this Ali. I may join in but it will not be until second half of the year most likely – I dont have any Spark’s left on my TBR and I’m trying to restrain my purchasing for the first half of the year at least
It’s fine to join in when you can. I completely understand you not wanting to buy books for a while. I think I need to adopt a similar policy.
No way can I see you stop buying books 🙂
Ha! Me either. 😂
Well it looks as if I’ll be joining in earlier than expected. I saw a project by CafeSociety blog and thought it sounded good fun – where you read a book published in each year of your life. Well year 1 for me is 1957 and I saw it was the year The Comforters was published and I was able to pick up a copy at the library yesterday. Success!
Oh that was a bit of luck. Sounds like an interesting reading challenge.
[…] Eden’s The Semi-Attached Couple and The Semi-Detached House, while over at HeavenAli’s blog there’s a year-long readathon marking the centenary of Muriel Spark’s birth, and I have […]
[…] has done the heavy lifting. She’s scheduled out a whole year’s worth of Muriel Spark reading with the intention participants can pick and choose what to read and […]
I’ve put up my first Spark post, introducing my participation. Getting very excited! https://bluestalkingjournal.com/2017/12/27/reading-projects-2018-muriel-spark-read-along/
Brilliant, thank you.
I would love to join in. I have a few here waiting to be read!
Excellent, glad you can join us.
I joined in your year-long readalong of Barbara Pym (can it really be 5 years ago?!) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m definitely going to give this a go! Caroline
I know! How time does fly! Very glad you will be joining in with this as well.
[…] Books of Summer, Victober, RIP Challenge, and German Lit Month. Ali will be hosting a Muriel Spark Readalong, so I will try to read at least one book for the event. Karen and Simon will be hosting the […]
Looking forward to starting this. The Comforters’ is the next book on my ‘to be read’ shelf…………
I started The Comforters this morning, think I’m going to really enjoy it.
[…] She was born in the same year as the Austro-Hungarian empire fell. So I’ll join in Ali’s #readingmuriel2018 now and again, and I will revisit Roth’s The Radetzky March. There are also a couple of […]
Just listened to (and thoroughly enjoyed) Drama: The Vital Spark: Memento Mori on BBC Radio 4 this afternoon. If anyone is interested, it’s available on http://www.bbcarabic.com/programmes/b09lvwj4
Thank you. I’m looking forward to reading that one. Have heard such good things.
I just read it. My first Spark. It was very good.
Excellent, so glad you enjoyed it.
[…] I read this as part of Ali’s through the year journey with Muriel Spark, ReadingMuriel 2018 […]
[…] Spark’s Memento Mori (1959) A re-read to coincide with Ali’s centenary celebration of the author’s works and […]
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I’m hoping to do a complete Muriel Spark marathon for the centennial. The only Spark novels I’ve read over the years have been Memento Mori and Jean Brodie (both more than once) and The Girls of Slender Means and The Abbess of Crewe (both many years ago). I also read some of the stories a few years ago.
I’ll be posting my progress to the Virago Modern Classics group on Library Thing at this link.
~CurrerBell
That’s a brilliant undertaking. I’ve just started Memento Mori having read The Comforters and Robinson last month.
[…] *This is my first contribution to the year-long celebration of Muriel Spark being held by HeavenAli to mark the centenary of the author’s birth. It’s dead easy to join in and you don’t have to struggle with one of those link thingies – read her introductory post here. […]
Not sure which ones to go for in phase 2. I’ve read 4 of them before, 3 of them decades ago and so would find it interesting to re-read some. But I also think I ought to go for the 2 I’ve never read.
Maybe I’ll choose one of each.
The only one I won’t re-read is The Prime of Miss JB as I only re-read that a few years ago. I love that novel.
What ever you decide I hope you enjoy it as much as phase 1.
So far, The Comforters – Robinson – Memento Mori (REREAD) – The Ballad of Peckham Rye – The Bachelors – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (REREAD). I’m hoping to get to The Girls of Slender Means (read many many years ago) by the end of this month, considering that The Mandelbaum Gate will be a long one in April.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/260620#6375636
~ CurrerBell
Fantastic well done, I did mention you in my first round up post that I put up a few weeks ago. There will be one at the end of each two month phase, and I like to try and include everyone.
[…] The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (for the Muriel Spark Readalong) […]
I just finished The Public Image, which completes my Spark reading through the1960s. I may start in on the May/June reading a little early with The Driver’s Seat.
My completion list with short comments is posted to librarything.com/topic/260620#6375636.
Well done. You are doing a great job reading all these Spark novels. I hope you continue to enjoy them.
Some more progress on my completion list (LibraryThing URL posted above). For the novels, I’ve finished in order through The Hothouse by the East River, so my next novel will be a reread (from way back to its first publication) of The Abbess of Crewe.
My most recent read (not on your reading list) is Doctors of Philosophy: A Play — Spark’s only play, though some of her novels do read a lot like dramatizations. I posted a short review of it toward the bottom of my completion list, including a link to a very interesting recent article in the Scottish Review of Books.
Thank you Michael, you’re doing so well with your Spark reading.
You may have heard, but Doctors of Philosophy will be performed (as a rehearsed reading) at the Edinburgh Book Festival this year.
I hadn’t heard, thanks for letting us know.
[…] I read this book for my local bookclub & for Muriel Spark Readalong […]
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