Tuesday, 12th May
7pm — 8pm
Join us for an evening of discussion with author and researcher James Bailey, and delve into the world of Muriel Spark – Scottish novelist, poet and essayist.
Muriel Spark was one of literature's great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels - with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray – but it is also true of her as a person.
As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark's own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography.
Tickets are just £5, including a welcome drink on the evening. A book and ticket option is also available for £20, which includes a copy of the book in hardback on the day.
Book your ticket using the form below or by calling in to store. A limited number of copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.
About the author
James Bailey is a writer and researcher from Manchester, whose book Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark is published by Sceptre.
James is a Doctor of Literature, and his PhD was turned into an earlier book called Muriel Spark's Early Fiction. He is also the co-editor of a collection of essays called British Women Short Story Writers.
James's day job involves working to support the development of other writers, as well as independent publishers, bookshops and literature festivals.
