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Celebrate Muriel Spark's hundredth birthday by imbibing a delicious glass of her bubbly wit in this brilliant, wry collection of her wise words.
The Observing Eye is a collection of Muriel Spark's brilliant asides, sayings, and aphorisms. No other writer can hold a candle to her wry, puckish observations:
'Neurotics are awfully quick to notice other people's mentalities.'
'It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.'
'The sacrifice of pleasure is of course itself a pleasure.'
'Be on the alert to recognize your prime at whatever time in your life it may occur.'
'Ridicule is the only honourable weapon we have left.'
Spark's striking insights are precise and unforgettable - they will make you laugh and nod in agreement, with a wicked smile on your face. Her wise words never fail to hit exactly the right note.
Praise for The Observing Eye: The Sayings of Muriel Spark
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There is no question about the quality and distinctiveness of her writing, with its quirky concern with human nature, and its comedy - William Boyd
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Mercurially funny, playful and mischievous - Ali Smith
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A master of malice and mayhem - New York Times
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The greatest Scottish novelist of modern times . . . my admiration for spark's contribution to literature known no bounds - Ian Rankin
Muriel Spark
Born in Edinburgh, Muriel Spark was internationally famous and received the Italia Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the FNAC Prix Etranger and the Saltire Prize, among many others. She was elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1978 and to L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 1988. She died in April 2006.
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