On cats doris lessing biography
Doris Lessing
British novelist (1919–2013)
Doris May LessingCHOMG (néeTayler; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remained until moving in 1949 to London, England. Her novels include The Grass Is Singing (1950), the sequence of five novels collectively called Children of Violence (1952–1969), The Golden Notebook (1962), The Good Terrorist (1985), and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos: Archives (1979–1983).
Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described her as "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny". Lessing was the oldest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, at age 87.
In 2001 Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime's achievement in British literature. In 2008 The Times ranked her fifth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Life
Early life
Lessing was born Doris May Tayler in Kermanshah, Iran, on 22 October 1919, to Captain Alfred Tayler and Emily Maude Tayler (née McVeagh), both British subjects. Her father, who had lost a leg during his service in World War I, met his future wife, a nurse, at the Royal Free Hospital in London where he was recovering from his amputation. The couple moved to Iran, for Alfred to take a job as a clerk for the Imperial Bank of Persia.
In 1925 the family moved to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to farm maize and other crops on about 1,000 acres (400 ha) of bush that Alfred bought. In the rough environment, his wife Emily aspired to lead an Edwardian lifesty On Cats by Doris Lessing is a well written and highly entertaining book about cats. From her childhood in Africa to London and the UK countryside, she writes about the felines she looked after and loved dearly. I’m ready to read everything about these beautiful animals, and if the author is good as well, it is just bliss! Advertisements On Cats, mentions many cats but for the most part, it tells the story of two cats; the grey cat and the black cat. Lessing’s relationship with these two cats; observing them and trying to understand them is just remarkable. If you ever owned by a cat, you may relate to her in many parts. On that note, I must say the book saddened me at times. I was forced to take breaks because I am not a person who could ever read about the suffering of animals. But since I’m too sensitive, let’s say I’m exaggerating and you’ll take a look at this book. I think every cat lover will love it. Enjoy! Advertisements A collection of charming and celebrated writings about cats, from Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Buy now from Amazon Buy now from Book Depository Doris May Lessing CH, OMG was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, Some years ago, after having lived alone for decades, I found myself yearning for something alive in the house besides myself and, to my own great surprise, decided on adopting a cat. My mother’s fear of anything that moved on more than two legs had infected me quite early, and for most of my life I, too, have been either frightened of, or repelled by, animals—dogs, cats, sheep, cows, frogs, insects: you name it, if it came near me, I shuddered. But now the yearning carried the day, and out I went in search of the affectionate creature who would purr in my lap, sleep in my bed, and at all times enliven the apartment with its antic presence. It was late summer, and everywhere in the city, there were cages full of rescue cats being attended to by one animal rescue person or another. Soon enough, I spotted an exceptionally beautiful pair of twelve-week-old tabbies, each streaked in a different pattern of black and gray, both possessed of exquisite little tiger faces dominated by great green eyes perfectly outlined in pencil-thin black. I said to the woman minding the cages, “I’ll take one of them.” No, she said, they’re females from the same litter, they can’t be separated; it’s either both or neither. Why not, I thought, and said yes, I’d take the pair. No sooner done than anxiety of a high order set in. Suddenly, there they were: in the apartment. Like Gulliver among the Lilliputians, I stared at the cats, and they stared back. What did I do now? I hadn’t a clue. What did they do now? Obviously, they hadn’t a clue, either. If I made a move toward either kitten, both shrank; a second move and they scurried away. Then one of them hid for three days behind the couch, during which time the other one meowed piteously, all the while keeping a steady watch at the exact place where Cat One had disappeared. After that, there were days when they both hid themselve Greatest creatures on earth
About the book: On Cats
Doris Lessing’s love affair with cats began at a young when she became intrigued with the semi-feral creatures on the African farm where she grew up. Her fascination remained undiminished by the handsome domesticated creatures who shared her flats and her life in London and grew into real love with El Magnifico, the awkwardly lovable cat who in his later years suffered the great indignity of becoming a three-legged beast
of Lessing’s celebrated collection of stories, ‘Particularly Cats and Rufus’, and the poignant though unsentimental memoir, ‘The Old Age of El Magnifico’, this book is a brilliant evocation of the feline world.About the author: Doris Lessing
On Cats
Buku 'Tentang Kucing' ini sedikit banyak mengingatkan saya pada Istambulnya Pamuk. Jika Pamuk menggunakan kota sebagai refleksi memoarnya, maka Lessing menggunakan kucing. Lebih tepatnya, menggunakan kucing-kucingnya. Ada banyak sekali kucing di buku ini jadi mungkin kalau dibaca sekaligus bisa bikin bosan. Tapi, Lessing menghadirkan cerita tentang kucing-kucingnya dengan cara yang istimewa. Pecinta kucing bakal manggut-manggut membaca tuturannya, sementara bahkan bagi yang bukan penyuka kucing pun akan terpikat oleh teknik bercerita Lessing yang serasa akrab sekali.
"Juru kisah ada di kedalaman diri kita. Juru kisah selalu bersama kita," begitu kata Doris Lessing. Bagaimana kita mengeluarkan dan menyalurkan potensi sang juru cerita dalam diri inilah yang membedakan yang nulis dan yang nggak nulis. Lessing membuktikan, ketika si juru cerita dalam diri terbangkitkan, maka apa pun cerita yang kita tulis akan terasa istimewa. Buku ini buktinya. Siapa sangka, cerita tentang kucing peliharaan bisa diolah jadi seluar biasa ini. Di tangan seorang penulis yang piawai, yang biasa selalu bisa jadi tulisan yang istimewa.
Kucing dalam pandangan Lessing di buku ini sedikit banyak mengingatkan pada kisah-kisah manusia. Ada kucing yang anggun, pongah, dan sok istimewa seperti si Abu-abu. Ada juga kucing kelas dua yang tunduk pada kuasa kucing lain tapi tetap mempertahankan hak-hak istimewanya seperti si Hitam. Lalu, ada lagi kucing sisihan yang hanya mendapatkan apa yang tersisa dari kucing golongan pertama dan golongan kedua. Bukankah manusia juga demikian? Bukan berarti manusia itu sama kayak kucing loh, hanya saja Lessing mampu menghadirkan cerita kucing-kucingnya yang sekaligus mengingatkan kita bahwa manusia terkadang mendapatkan penggolongan yang serupa.
Ada tiga cerita tentang kucing di buku ini. Cerita pertama, Khusus Tentang Kucing, adalah yang paling panjang se Cats, Doris Lessing, and Me