About the Author

Muriel Spark (born February 1, 1918) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She began writing seriously after the war, beginning with poetry and literary criticism. In 1947, she became editor of the Poetry Review. Her first novel The Comforters was published in 1957, but it was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1962) which established her reputation. After living in New York for some years, she settled in Italy in the late 1960s. She became Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1993.

Reviews

"The best English novelist writing today".-- (London) Times Literary Supplement

Sparks 1960 comic novel follows Dougal Douglas, who is hired by a company to poke into the private lives of its employees. Douglas turns out to be a demonical researcher who butts in so much he begins to influence his subjects actions rather than just observe them. LJs reviewer found the book well written but thought American readers might have trouble with the dialect. A wickedly funny novel for all fiction collections. (LJ 7/60)

"The best English novelist writing today".

-- (London) Times Literary Supplement