A Celebration of Muriel Spark 

After chancing upon an article (decades ago) focusing on Muriel Spark’s complex, quirky personality, I determined to read everything she wrote, which I did: poetry, short stories, novels, autobiography, a play, a children’s book, criticism followed by biographies. I was a bit worn out at the end but my boundaries for appreciating the product of genius were greatly expanded. I’m glad that she wasn’t my mother but I’m grateful that I read that story about how she’s the kind of person who, if you were following her up a stairway, she would likely turn around and confront you, asking what you wanted.