About the book
I think my father's rage at the trenches took me over, when I was very young, and has never left me. Do children feel their parents' emotions? Yes, we do, and it is a legacy I could have done without. What is the use of it? It is as if that old war is in my own memory, my own consciousness.
In this extraordinary book, the 2007 Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing explores the lives of her parents, each irrevocably damaged by the Great War. Her father wanted the simple life of an English farmer, but shrapnel almost killed him in the trenches, and thereafter he had to wear a wooden leg. Her mother, Emily, spent the war nursing the wounded in the Royal Free Hospital after her great love, a doctor, drowned in the Channel.
In the fictional first half of Alfred and Emily, Doris Lessing imagines the happier lives her parents might have made for themselves had there been no war; a story that begins with their meeting at a village cricket match outside Colchester. This is followed by a piercing examination of their relationship as it actually was in the shadow of the Great War, of the family's move to Africa, and of the impact of her parents' marriage on a young woman growing up in a strange land.
\"Here I still am,\" says Doris Lessing, \"trying to get out from under that monstrous legacy, trying to get free.\" Triumphantly, with the publication of Alfred and Emily, she has done just that.
Editions of Alfred and Emily
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780060834890
- EBook
- ISBN 9780061862496
Read an Excerpt
I think my father's rage at the trenches took me over, when I was very young, and has never left me. Do children feel their parents' emotions? Yes, we do, and it is a legacy I could have done without. What is the use of it? It is as if that old war is in my own memory, my own consciousness.
In this extraordinary book, the 2007 Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing explores the lives of her parents, each irrevocably damaged by the Great War. Her father wanted the simple life of an English farmer, but shrapnel almost killed him in the trenches, and thereafter he had to wear a wooden leg. Her mother, Emily, spent the war nursing the wounded in the Royal Free Hospital after her great love, a doctor, drowned in the Channel.
In the fictional first half of Alfred and Emily, Doris Lessing imagines the happier lives her parents might have made for themselves had there been no war; a story that begins with their meeting at a village cricket match outside Colchester. This is followed by a piercing examination of their relationship as it actually was in the shadow of the Great War, of the family's move to Africa, and of the impact of her parents' marriage on a young woman growing up in a strange land.
\"Here I still am,\" says Doris Lessing, \"trying to get out from under that monstrous legacy, trying to get free.\" Triumphantly, with the publication of Alfred and Emily, she has done just that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alfred and Emily about?
I think my father's rage at the trenches took me over, when I was very young, and has never left me. Do children feel their parents' emotions? Yes, we do, and it is a legacy I could have done without. What is the use of it? It is as if that old war is in my own memory, my own consciousness.
In this extraordinary book, the 2007 Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing explores the lives of her parents, each irrevocably damaged by the Great War. Her father wanted the simple life of an English farmer, but shrapnel almost killed him in the trenches, and thereafter he had to wear a wooden leg. Her mother, Emily, spent the war nursing the wounded in the Royal Free Hospital after her great love, a doctor, drowned in the Channel.
In the fictional first half of Alfred and Emily, Doris Lessing imagines the happier lives her parents might have made for themselves had there been no war; a story that begins with their meeting at a village cricket match outside Colchester. This is followed by a piercing examination of their relationship as it actually was in the shadow of the Great War, of the family's move to Africa, and of the impact of her parents' marriage on a young woman growing up in a strange land.
\"Here I still am,\" says Doris Lessing, \"trying to get out from under that monstrous legacy, trying to get free.\" Triumphantly, with the publication of Alfred and Emily, she has done just that.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Alfred and Emily?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Biography: general
Where can I read a sample of Alfred and Emily?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780060834890
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Alfred and Emily?
Doris Lessing
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Alfred and Emily is available as paperback(ISBN 9780060834890) and ebook(ISBN 9780061862496)
Where can I buy Alfred and Emily online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Alfred and Emily from below
Where can I buy Alfred and Emily?