Originally published: London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Born in 1918 in Edinburgh, Muriel Spark ended as the epitome of literary chic, one of the great writers of the twentieth century.After becoming a Roman Catholic in 1954, she began a novel, THE COMFORTERS (1957), and with MEMENTO MORI and THE BATCHELORS rose rapidly into the literary stratosphere. THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (1961), with its adaptation into a successful stage-play and film, marked her full translation into international celebrity. She lived in Tuscany where for over thirty years, until her death in 2006, she shared a house with her companion, the artist Penelope Jardine. Spark invited Martin Stannard to write her biography in 1992, offering interviews and full access to her papers. This book present a compelling portrait of an extraordinary life.