6 June at 1pm
Discussing her new stories, The Grandmothers

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Feminist, anti-apartheid campaigner and wildly original fiction talent, Lessing was brought up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1920s and '30s. She rebelled against a stifling education and turned to writing and left wing politics.

After being expelled from both Rhodesia and South Africa for criticising apartheid, she settled in England and rapidly became a heroine of the feminist movement for her novels featuring conflicted modern woman Martha Quest. Since then Lessing has written science fiction, cosmic fantasy, dark-edged naturalistic novels and several volumes of autobiography.

She has had a huge influence on younger generations and has been honoured in countries round the world – including South Africa.

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Doris Lessing © PA Photos