3273 Muriel Spark RIP

ROME (Reuters) - Scottish-born novelist Muriel Spark has died in Italy at the age of 88 and will be buried in Tuscany later on Saturday, an Italian official said.

"She was very open. Both fascinating and down-to-earth at the same time. Her loss will be very difficult to overcome," Massimiliano Dindalini, the mayor of the Italian town where she lived told Reuters by telephone.

Spark, born Muriel Sarah Camberg, moved to Italy in the late 1960s and has lived in the small town of Civitella in Val di Chiana for 27 years. Her funeral will be held there on Saturday.

Spark, born in February 1918 in Edinburgh to a Jewish father and Anglican mother, died on Friday in a hospital in Florence after battling health problems since last year.

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/15/2006 - 13:37

A brilliant author whose many books Linda enjoyed very much. Her most well known was probably The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie which was also made into an excellent film.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/15/2006 - 14:35

The BBc obit is quite pleasing, with plenty of Italian references

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3659703.stm[/url]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/16/2006 - 03:57

The Driver's Seat is also a very interesting novella. I read somewhere this morning that this too was made into a film staring apparently Elizabeth Taylor, anyone seen it?

This is very hard to put into words but I always feel less troubled by someone's death when the person in question has spent a large portion of his/her life living somewhere incredibly beautiful, as in the case of Muriel Spark. Daft really, but there you go...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/16/2006 - 12:10

What was her link to Italy; does anyone know more on why she lived there?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/29/2006 - 09:26

As stated above she lived in the small town of Civitella in Val di Chiana for 27 years.