Doris Lessing - Revision history

imported>PerfectionisticOCD: Added links to media publishers

2026-06-18T18:34:46Z

Added links to media publishers

imported>ZeroAlpha87: Removed wording including age, as cannot be sure whether she was 29 or 30 at that exact time.

2025-12-28T02:05:19Z

Removed wording including age, as cannot be sure whether she was 29 or 30 at that exact time.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 02:05, 28 December 2025
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	'''Doris May Lessing''' {{post-nom\|country=GBR\|CH}} {{post-nom\|country=ZAR\|OMG}} ({{nee}} '''Tayler'''; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist – sometimes identified as Rhodesian early in her career – and winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2007.		'''Doris May Lessing''' {{post-nom\|country=GBR\|CH}} {{post-nom\|country=ZAR\|OMG}} ({{nee}} '''Tayler'''; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist – sometimes identified as Rhodesian early in her career – and winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2007.

	Lessing was born to British parents in [[Qajar Iran\|Persia]], where she lived until she was 6 in 1925. Her family then moved to [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]), where she remained until moving ~~in 1949 when she was 26~~ to London, England.		Lessing was born to British parents in [[Qajar Iran\|Persia]], where she lived until she was 6 in 1925. Her family then moved to [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]), where she remained until moving to London, England, in 1949.

	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\|Canopus in Argos: Archives]]'' (1979–1983).		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\|Canopus in Argos: Archives]]'' (1979–1983).

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: add Category:21st-century British women novelists

2025-11-07T06:27:53Z

add Category:21st-century British women novelists

Show changes

imported>Opera hat: /* Life */

2025-06-21T08:55:23Z

Life

← Previous revision		Revision as of 08:55, 21 June 2025
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	As well as [[Nuclear disarmament\|campaigning against nuclear arms]], she was an active opponent of [[apartheid]], which led her to being banned from South Africa and Rhodesia in 1956 for many years.<ref name=obit /> In the same year, following the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956\|Soviet invasion of Hungary]], she left the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite news\|last=Miller\|first=Stephen\|title=Nobel Author Doris Lessing Dies at 94\|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579203804274045712\|access-date=23 November 2013\|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal\|date=17 November 2013}}</ref> In the 1980s, when Lessing was vocal in her opposition to Soviet actions in Afghanistan,<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0114/dbless.html "Doris Lessing blows the veil of romanticism off Afghanistan"], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 14 January 1988.</ref> she gave her views on feminism, communism and science fiction in an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="space fiction"/>		As well as [[Nuclear disarmament\|campaigning against nuclear arms]], she was an active opponent of [[apartheid]], which led her to being banned from South Africa and Rhodesia in 1956 for many years.<ref name=obit /> In the same year, following the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956\|Soviet invasion of Hungary]], she left the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite news\|last=Miller\|first=Stephen\|title=Nobel Author Doris Lessing Dies at 94\|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579203804274045712\|access-date=23 November 2013\|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal\|date=17 November 2013}}</ref> In the 1980s, when Lessing was vocal in her opposition to Soviet actions in Afghanistan,<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0114/dbless.html "Doris Lessing blows the veil of romanticism off Afghanistan"], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 14 January 1988.</ref> she gave her views on feminism, communism and science fiction in an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="space fiction"/>

	On 21 August 2015, a five-volume secret file on Lessing, built up by both [[MI5]] and [[MI6]], was made public and placed in [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)\|The National Archives]].<ref>Shirbon, Estelle, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164336/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-mi5-lessing-idUKKCN0QP2DY20150820?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "British spies reveal file on Nobel-winner Doris Lessing"], Reuters, 21 August 2015.</ref> The file, which contains documents that are redacted in parts, shows Lessing was under surveillance by MI5 and MI6 for around twenty years, from the early-1940s onwards. Her associations with communist organisations and political activism were reported to be the reasons for the surveillance of Lessing.<ref>Norton-Taylor, Richard, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/mi5-spied-on-doris-lessing-for-20-years-declassified-documents-reveal "MI5 spied on Doris Lessing for 20 years, declassified documents reveal"], ''The Guardian'', 21 August 2015.</ref>		On 21 August 2015, a five-volume secret file on Lessing, built up by both [[MI5]] and [[MI6]], was made public and placed in [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)\|The National Archives]].<ref>Shirbon, Estelle, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164336/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-mi5-lessing-idUKKCN0QP2DY20150820?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "British spies reveal file on Nobel-winner Doris Lessing"], Reuters, 21 August 2015.</ref> The file, which contains documents that are redacted in parts, shows Lessing was under surveillance by MI5 and MI6 for around twenty years, from the early 1940s onwards. Her associations with communist organisations and political activism were reported to be the reasons for the surveillance of Lessing.<ref>Norton-Taylor, Richard, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/mi5-spied-on-doris-lessing-for-20-years-declassified-documents-reveal "MI5 spied on Doris Lessing for 20 years, declassified documents reveal"], ''The Guardian'', 21 August 2015.</ref>

	Disaffected, and turning away from Marxist political philosophy, Lessing became increasingly absorbed with mystical and spiritual matters, devoting herself especially to the [[Sufism\|Sufi]] tradition.<ref>Hajer Elarem, 2015. "A Quest for Selfhood: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Female Identity in Doris Lessing's Early Fiction", academic paper. Université de Franche-Comté.</ref>		Disaffected, and turning away from Marxist political philosophy, Lessing became increasingly absorbed with mystical and spiritual matters, devoting herself especially to the [[Sufism\|Sufi]] tradition.<ref>Hajer Elarem, 2015. "A Quest for Selfhood: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Female Identity in Doris Lessing's Early Fiction", academic paper. Université de Franche-Comté.</ref>
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	===Illness and death===		===Illness and death===
	During the late-1990s Lessing had a stroke,<ref name=progressive/> which stopped her from travelling during her later years.<ref name=Verongos>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing, Novelist Who Won 2007 Nobel, is Dead at 94\|author=Helen T. Verongos\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/books/doris-lessing-novelist-who-won-2007-nobel-is-dead-at-94.html\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She was still able to attend the theatre and opera.<ref name=progressive>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dorislessing.org/theprogressive.html\|author=Raskin, Jonah\|title=The Progressive Interview: Doris Lessing\|work=The Progressive (reprint)\|publisher=dorislessing.org\|date=June 1999\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She began to focus her mind on death, for example asking herself if she would have time to finish a new book.<ref name=obit>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing: Nobel Prize-winning author whose work ranged from social and political realism to science fiction\|author=Peter Guttridge\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/doris-lessing-nobel-prizewinning-author-whose-work-ranged-from-social-and-political-realism-to-science-fiction-8945459.html\|work=The Independent\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=progressive /> She died on 17 November 2013, aged 94, at her home in [[West Hampstead]], London, of kidney failure, [[sepsis]] and a chest infection,<ref>{{Cite ODNB \|last=Maslen \|first=Elizabeth \|date=1 January 2017 \|title=Lessing [née Tayler], Doris May (1919–2013), writer \|id=108270\|freearticle=y}}</ref> predeceased by her two sons, but was survived by her daughter, Jean, who lives in South Africa.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24979129 "Author Doris Lessing dies aged 94"], BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2013.</ref>		During the late 1990s Lessing had a stroke,<ref name=progressive/> which stopped her from travelling during her later years.<ref name=Verongos>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing, Novelist Who Won 2007 Nobel, is Dead at 94\|author=Helen T. Verongos\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/books/doris-lessing-novelist-who-won-2007-nobel-is-dead-at-94.html\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She was still able to attend the theatre and opera.<ref name=progressive>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dorislessing.org/theprogressive.html\|author=Raskin, Jonah\|title=The Progressive Interview: Doris Lessing\|work=The Progressive (reprint)\|publisher=dorislessing.org\|date=June 1999\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She began to focus her mind on death, for example asking herself if she would have time to finish a new book.<ref name=obit>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing: Nobel Prize-winning author whose work ranged from social and political realism to science fiction\|author=Peter Guttridge\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/doris-lessing-nobel-prizewinning-author-whose-work-ranged-from-social-and-political-realism-to-science-fiction-8945459.html\|work=The Independent\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=progressive /> She died on 17 November 2013, aged 94, at her home in [[West Hampstead]], London, of kidney failure, [[sepsis]] and a chest infection,<ref>{{Cite ODNB \|last=Maslen \|first=Elizabeth \|date=1 January 2017 \|title=Lessing [née Tayler], Doris May (1919–2013), writer \|id=108270\|freearticle=y}}</ref> predeceased by her two sons, but was survived by her daughter, Jean, who lives in South Africa.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24979129 "Author Doris Lessing dies aged 94"], BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2013.</ref>

	She was remembered with a [[humanist celebrant\|humanist funeral service]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2018/04/24/humanists-uk-launches-first-ever-funeral-tribute-archive/\|title=Humanists UK launches first ever funeral tribute archive\|work=[[Humanists UK]]\|access-date=23 October 2010\|date=24 April 2018}}</ref>		She was remembered with a [[humanist celebrant\|humanist funeral service]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2018/04/24/humanists-uk-launches-first-ever-funeral-tribute-archive/\|title=Humanists UK launches first ever funeral tribute archive\|work=[[Humanists UK]]\|access-date=23 October 2010\|date=24 April 2018}}</ref>

2601:645:C682:B050:C3D5:E3BC:6734:CDED: /* Life */ I reconciled an ambiguity.

2025-06-04T19:57:58Z

Life: I reconciled an ambiguity.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 19:57, 4 June 2025
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	As a girl Doris was educated first at the [[Dominican Convent High School, Harare\|Dominican Convent High School]], a Roman Catholic [[convent]] [[Single-sex school\|all-girls school]] in the Southern Rhodesian capital of Salisbury (now [[Harare]]).<ref name="UnderMySkin" /> Then followed a year at [[Girls High School, Harare\|Girls High School]] in Salisbury.<ref name="UnderMySkin">{{cite book \|last1=Lessing \|first1=Doris \|title=Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949 \|url=https://archive.org/details/undermyskinvolum01less \|url-access=registration \|date=1994 \|publisher=Harper Collins \|location=London \|isbn=000255545X\|page=[https://archive.org/details/undermyskinvolum01less/page/147 147]}}</ref> She left school at age 13 and was self-educated from then on. She left home at 15 and worked as a [[nursemaid]]. She started reading material that her employer gave her on politics and sociology<ref name="scifirefa"/> and began writing around this time.		As a girl Doris was educated first at the [[Dominican Convent High School, Harare\|Dominican Convent High School]], a Roman Catholic [[convent]] [[Single-sex school\|all-girls school]] in the Southern Rhodesian capital of Salisbury (now [[Harare]]).<ref name="UnderMySkin" /> Then followed a year at [[Girls High School, Harare\|Girls High School]] in Salisbury.<ref name="UnderMySkin">{{cite book \|last1=Lessing \|first1=Doris \|title=Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949 \|url=https://archive.org/details/undermyskinvolum01less \|url-access=registration \|date=1994 \|publisher=Harper Collins \|location=London \|isbn=000255545X\|page=[https://archive.org/details/undermyskinvolum01less/page/147 147]}}</ref> She left school at age 13 and was self-educated from then on. She left home at 15 and worked as a [[nursemaid]]. She started reading material that her employer gave her on politics and sociology<ref name="scifirefa"/> and began writing around this time.

	In 1937 Doris moved to Salisbury to work as a [[Switchboard operator\|telephone operator]], and she soon married her first husband, civil servant Frank Wisdom, with whom she had two children (John, 1940–1992, and Jean, born in 1941), before the marriage ended in 1943.<ref name="scifirefa"/> Lessing left the family home in 1943, leaving the two children with their father.<ref name = "telegraph"/>		In 1937 Doris moved to Salisbury to work as a [[Switchboard operator\|telephone operator]], and she soon married the man who became her first husband, civil servant Frank Wisdom, with whom she had two children (John, 1940–1992, and Jean, born in 1941), before the marriage ended in 1943.<ref name="scifirefa"/> Lessing left the family home in 1943, leaving the two children with their father.<ref name = "telegraph"/>

	=== Move to London; political views ===		=== Move to London; political views ===

imported>Tassedethe: v2.05 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Under My Skin (book)

2025-05-04T20:17:28Z

v2.05 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Under My Skin (book)

Show changes

← Previous revision		Revision as of 02:05, 28 December 2025
Line 64:		Line 64:
	'''Doris May Lessing''' {{post-nom\|country=GBR\|CH}} {{post-nom\|country=ZAR\|OMG}} ({{nee}} '''Tayler'''; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist – sometimes identified as Rhodesian early in her career – and winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2007.		'''Doris May Lessing''' {{post-nom\|country=GBR\|CH}} {{post-nom\|country=ZAR\|OMG}} ({{nee}} '''Tayler'''; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist – sometimes identified as Rhodesian early in her career – and winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2007.

	Lessing was born to British parents in [[Qajar Iran\|Persia]], where she lived until she was 6 in 1925. Her family then moved to [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]), where she remained until moving ~~in 1949 when she was 26~~ to London, England.		Lessing was born to British parents in [[Qajar Iran\|Persia]], where she lived until she was 6 in 1925. Her family then moved to [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]), where she remained until moving to London, England, in 1949.

	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\|Canopus in Argos: Archives]]'' (1979–1983).		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\|Canopus in Argos: Archives]]'' (1979–1983).

← Previous revision		Revision as of 08:55, 21 June 2025
Line 84:		Line 84:
	As well as [[Nuclear disarmament\|campaigning against nuclear arms]], she was an active opponent of [[apartheid]], which led her to being banned from South Africa and Rhodesia in 1956 for many years.<ref name=obit /> In the same year, following the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956\|Soviet invasion of Hungary]], she left the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite news\|last=Miller\|first=Stephen\|title=Nobel Author Doris Lessing Dies at 94\|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579203804274045712\|access-date=23 November 2013\|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal\|date=17 November 2013}}</ref> In the 1980s, when Lessing was vocal in her opposition to Soviet actions in Afghanistan,<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0114/dbless.html "Doris Lessing blows the veil of romanticism off Afghanistan"], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 14 January 1988.</ref> she gave her views on feminism, communism and science fiction in an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="space fiction"/>		As well as [[Nuclear disarmament\|campaigning against nuclear arms]], she was an active opponent of [[apartheid]], which led her to being banned from South Africa and Rhodesia in 1956 for many years.<ref name=obit /> In the same year, following the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956\|Soviet invasion of Hungary]], she left the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite news\|last=Miller\|first=Stephen\|title=Nobel Author Doris Lessing Dies at 94\|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579203804274045712\|access-date=23 November 2013\|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal\|date=17 November 2013}}</ref> In the 1980s, when Lessing was vocal in her opposition to Soviet actions in Afghanistan,<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0114/dbless.html "Doris Lessing blows the veil of romanticism off Afghanistan"], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 14 January 1988.</ref> she gave her views on feminism, communism and science fiction in an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="space fiction"/>

	On 21 August 2015, a five-volume secret file on Lessing, built up by both [[MI5]] and [[MI6]], was made public and placed in [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)\|The National Archives]].<ref>Shirbon, Estelle, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164336/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-mi5-lessing-idUKKCN0QP2DY20150820?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "British spies reveal file on Nobel-winner Doris Lessing"], Reuters, 21 August 2015.</ref> The file, which contains documents that are redacted in parts, shows Lessing was under surveillance by MI5 and MI6 for around twenty years, from the early-1940s onwards. Her associations with communist organisations and political activism were reported to be the reasons for the surveillance of Lessing.<ref>Norton-Taylor, Richard, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/mi5-spied-on-doris-lessing-for-20-years-declassified-documents-reveal "MI5 spied on Doris Lessing for 20 years, declassified documents reveal"], ''The Guardian'', 21 August 2015.</ref>		On 21 August 2015, a five-volume secret file on Lessing, built up by both [[MI5]] and [[MI6]], was made public and placed in [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)\|The National Archives]].<ref>Shirbon, Estelle, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164336/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-mi5-lessing-idUKKCN0QP2DY20150820?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "British spies reveal file on Nobel-winner Doris Lessing"], Reuters, 21 August 2015.</ref> The file, which contains documents that are redacted in parts, shows Lessing was under surveillance by MI5 and MI6 for around twenty years, from the early 1940s onwards. Her associations with communist organisations and political activism were reported to be the reasons for the surveillance of Lessing.<ref>Norton-Taylor, Richard, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/mi5-spied-on-doris-lessing-for-20-years-declassified-documents-reveal "MI5 spied on Doris Lessing for 20 years, declassified documents reveal"], ''The Guardian'', 21 August 2015.</ref>

	Disaffected, and turning away from Marxist political philosophy, Lessing became increasingly absorbed with mystical and spiritual matters, devoting herself especially to the [[Sufism\|Sufi]] tradition.<ref>Hajer Elarem, 2015. "A Quest for Selfhood: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Female Identity in Doris Lessing's Early Fiction", academic paper. Université de Franche-Comté.</ref>		Disaffected, and turning away from Marxist political philosophy, Lessing became increasingly absorbed with mystical and spiritual matters, devoting herself especially to the [[Sufism\|Sufi]] tradition.<ref>Hajer Elarem, 2015. "A Quest for Selfhood: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Female Identity in Doris Lessing's Early Fiction", academic paper. Université de Franche-Comté.</ref>
Line 98:		Line 98:

	===Illness and death===		===Illness and death===
	During the late-1990s Lessing had a stroke,<ref name=progressive/> which stopped her from travelling during her later years.<ref name=Verongos>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing, Novelist Who Won 2007 Nobel, is Dead at 94\|author=Helen T. Verongos\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/books/doris-lessing-novelist-who-won-2007-nobel-is-dead-at-94.html\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She was still able to attend the theatre and opera.<ref name=progressive>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dorislessing.org/theprogressive.html\|author=Raskin, Jonah\|title=The Progressive Interview: Doris Lessing\|work=The Progressive (reprint)\|publisher=dorislessing.org\|date=June 1999\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She began to focus her mind on death, for example asking herself if she would have time to finish a new book.<ref name=obit>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing: Nobel Prize-winning author whose work ranged from social and political realism to science fiction\|author=Peter Guttridge\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/doris-lessing-nobel-prizewinning-author-whose-work-ranged-from-social-and-political-realism-to-science-fiction-8945459.html\|work=The Independent\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=progressive /> She died on 17 November 2013, aged 94, at her home in [[West Hampstead]], London, of kidney failure, [[sepsis]] and a chest infection,<ref>{{Cite ODNB \|last=Maslen \|first=Elizabeth \|date=1 January 2017 \|title=Lessing [née Tayler], Doris May (1919–2013), writer \|id=108270\|freearticle=y}}</ref> predeceased by her two sons, but was survived by her daughter, Jean, who lives in South Africa.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24979129 "Author Doris Lessing dies aged 94"], BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2013.</ref>		During the late 1990s Lessing had a stroke,<ref name=progressive/> which stopped her from travelling during her later years.<ref name=Verongos>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing, Novelist Who Won 2007 Nobel, is Dead at 94\|author=Helen T. Verongos\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/books/doris-lessing-novelist-who-won-2007-nobel-is-dead-at-94.html\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She was still able to attend the theatre and opera.<ref name=progressive>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dorislessing.org/theprogressive.html\|author=Raskin, Jonah\|title=The Progressive Interview: Doris Lessing\|work=The Progressive (reprint)\|publisher=dorislessing.org\|date=June 1999\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> She began to focus her mind on death, for example asking herself if she would have time to finish a new book.<ref name=obit>{{cite news\|title=Doris Lessing: Nobel Prize-winning author whose work ranged from social and political realism to science fiction\|author=Peter Guttridge\|date=17 November 2013\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/doris-lessing-nobel-prizewinning-author-whose-work-ranged-from-social-and-political-realism-to-science-fiction-8945459.html\|work=The Independent\|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=progressive /> She died on 17 November 2013, aged 94, at her home in [[West Hampstead]], London, of kidney failure, [[sepsis]] and a chest infection,<ref>{{Cite ODNB \|last=Maslen \|first=Elizabeth \|date=1 January 2017 \|title=Lessing [née Tayler], Doris May (1919–2013), writer \|id=108270\|freearticle=y}}</ref> predeceased by her two sons, but was survived by her daughter, Jean, who lives in South Africa.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24979129 "Author Doris Lessing dies aged 94"], BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2013.</ref>

	She was remembered with a [[humanist celebrant\|humanist funeral service]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2018/04/24/humanists-uk-launches-first-ever-funeral-tribute-archive/\|title=Humanists UK launches first ever funeral tribute archive\|work=[[Humanists UK]]\|access-date=23 October 2010\|date=24 April 2018}}</ref>		She was remembered with a [[humanist celebrant\|humanist funeral service]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2018/04/24/humanists-uk-launches-first-ever-funeral-tribute-archive/\|title=Humanists UK launches first ever funeral tribute archive\|work=[[Humanists UK]]\|access-date=23 October 2010\|date=24 April 2018}}</ref>