Lessing breaks the mold again with 'Alfred & Emily'

Alfred & Emily is Doris Lessing's first book since the 88-year-old British writer won the 2007 Nobel Prize. Though by no means her best book, it reveals why Lessing deserved literature's highest honor. There is a remarkable level of courage, honesty and wisdom in Alfred & Emily. Lessing has always followed her own path. Her blas reaction to winning the Nobel was not an affectation but in keeping with her entire career. So don't open Alfred & Emily expecting a traditional novel or memoir. Instead, Lessing combines the genres and reimagines the lives of her British parents, Alfred and Emily, if World War I had never happened. EXCERPT: Start the story of 'Alfred & Emily' To make sense of the book, readers should read the second half first: the memoir about her parents. Her father lost his leg in the war and spent the rest of his... [read full story]