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Wednesday 19 April 2006

Muriel Spark











Muriel Spark, aged 88, died on 14 April 2006 in hospital in Florence, Italy. Her funeral was held on 15th April in the church of Oliveto, a suburb of Civitella della Chiana, a delightful little place in Tuscany where she had been living for 26 years.

In September 2005 Muriel Spark had received the honorary Citizenship and the keys of the Town.

With her novel Invidia (Envy), published by Adelphi, she won the 2005 edition of the Literary Prize Isola d'Elba. In the photo we see her while receiving the prize from the Italian actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

Posted by Maddalena de Leo


Dame Muriel's first novel was published in 1957 but it was the 1962 classic, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, that brought her to the public’s attention following good reviews from critics.

The book was turned into a movie starring Dame Maggie Smith, bringing her a best actress Oscar in 1969.

In the course of her career Dame Muriel wrote over 20 books, which included not only novels but also critical studies of Mary Shelley and Emily Brontë.

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