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Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark
Not yet published
Expected 9 Jun 26“A deeply stylish, astute, and illuminating portrait of a fascinating writer.”—Francesca Wade, author of Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
A spiky and delicious new literary portrait of the great twentieth-century British author of beloved novels such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Girls of Slender Means
“She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.”—from Like a Cat Loves a Bird
Muriel Spark (1918–2006) was one of literature’s great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels—with their plots featuring a cast of elderly characters receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham, and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray—but it is also true of her as a person. As sly, nimble, and elegant as Spark’s own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird offers a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century.
From Spark’s childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany—via South Africa, London, New York, and Rome—James Bailey traces a light-footed journey around the world and through the novelist’s strange and magnificent books. The result is an irresistible story of transformation, wit, and fierce determination—and a passionate case for this vital modern artist.
A spiky and delicious new literary portrait of the great twentieth-century British author of beloved novels such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Girls of Slender Means
“She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.”—from Like a Cat Loves a Bird
Muriel Spark (1918–2006) was one of literature’s great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels—with their plots featuring a cast of elderly characters receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham, and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray—but it is also true of her as a person. As sly, nimble, and elegant as Spark’s own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird offers a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century.
From Spark’s childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany—via South Africa, London, New York, and Rome—James Bailey traces a light-footed journey around the world and through the novelist’s strange and magnificent books. The result is an irresistible story of transformation, wit, and fierce determination—and a passionate case for this vital modern artist.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 25, 2026
Muriel Spark, in both her life and work, often seemed hell bent on unsettling people. From fleeing to Rhodesia to marry, through abandoning her son to be brought up by her parents and writing about fascist schoolteachers, devils and Death itself giving people a ring to remind them their time’s up, she seemed to enjoy toying with society and her readers as much as she toyed with her characters.
As a result, she’s often hard to pin down: James Bailey’s bold conceit in this not quite biography is that to do so would reduce her and not be in the spirit she lived by. Instead, within a broadly chronological structure, he looks to illustrate our understanding of her through life events and her work, and doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable implications of what those might say. The way each chapter concisely illuminates a facet of her character, triangulated around life events, people and places, and the work she was doing at the time, is a perfectly Sparkian conceit fully in the spirit of her stories.
That detailed sense of place, bringing those past times and places to life vividly rather than simply running through already well-documented events in her life is the book’s real strength. Each chapter looking to the environments she lived in is often deeply informative background to her work (and perhaps explains what might seem a peripatetic nature: making places she lived in deliberately disquieting means they’re often as much of a sacrifice to her art as family and friends were).
Like Spark’s best work, it’s light on the surface, but sharp and unsentimental about its subject. It’s doubtful someone who liked to be as in control of her own story as Spark would have enjoyed it, but in form and substance it’s as appropriate a tribute as is possible.
As a result, she’s often hard to pin down: James Bailey’s bold conceit in this not quite biography is that to do so would reduce her and not be in the spirit she lived by. Instead, within a broadly chronological structure, he looks to illustrate our understanding of her through life events and her work, and doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable implications of what those might say. The way each chapter concisely illuminates a facet of her character, triangulated around life events, people and places, and the work she was doing at the time, is a perfectly Sparkian conceit fully in the spirit of her stories.
That detailed sense of place, bringing those past times and places to life vividly rather than simply running through already well-documented events in her life is the book’s real strength. Each chapter looking to the environments she lived in is often deeply informative background to her work (and perhaps explains what might seem a peripatetic nature: making places she lived in deliberately disquieting means they’re often as much of a sacrifice to her art as family and friends were).
Like Spark’s best work, it’s light on the surface, but sharp and unsentimental about its subject. It’s doubtful someone who liked to be as in control of her own story as Spark would have enjoyed it, but in form and substance it’s as appropriate a tribute as is possible.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Like a Cat to a Bird
This is the new biography of Dame Murial Spark, a woman who had a distinguished 55 year writing career that encompassed much of the 20th century. The book begins with this paragraph:
‘She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip and an arch manipulator.’ She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.’
Murial Spark was a woman with a talent for reinvention, always restless, always busy and actively seeking a life less ordinary.
From her Edinburgh childhood, her disastrous first marriage and escape from Africa, back to London and war work, she always prioritised her writing. She wrote 22 novels as well as short stories, poetry and articles and the biography discusses her novels by entwining them with events in her life. As a result, I have a long list of further reading. Muriel had a secondary school teacher called Miss Kay who may have been the inspiration for Miss Jean Brodie in the novel that bears her name. This was one of Spark’s most successful novels which became a play in the West End and Broadway, a TV series and an Oscar winning film.
In 1951 she won the Observer short story competition and always considered that this was what set her on the road to the writing career that Miss Kay had prophesised. It led her from Camberwell bedsits and being seen as ‘frumpy’ to being the toast of New York and Rome in ‘60’s designer outfits before escaping to Tuscany for the rest of her life.
In between she had to fend off intrusive questions about her fractured relationship with her son with the assumption that she appeared to have prioritised her career over motherhood and also questions about her relationship with Penelope Jardine, her friend of 30 years in Tuscany.
The book’s title comes from an interview in which she replied to a question about ‘the cruelty and violence she inflicted on her characters and did she hate them?’
‘Oh no I love them most intensely like a cat loves a bird. You know cats do love birds; they love to fondle them’
It was a fascinating biography of a formidable, ferociously talented writer who was always the crème de la crème.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
This is the new biography of Dame Murial Spark, a woman who had a distinguished 55 year writing career that encompassed much of the 20th century. The book begins with this paragraph:
‘She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip and an arch manipulator.’ She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.’
Murial Spark was a woman with a talent for reinvention, always restless, always busy and actively seeking a life less ordinary.
From her Edinburgh childhood, her disastrous first marriage and escape from Africa, back to London and war work, she always prioritised her writing. She wrote 22 novels as well as short stories, poetry and articles and the biography discusses her novels by entwining them with events in her life. As a result, I have a long list of further reading. Muriel had a secondary school teacher called Miss Kay who may have been the inspiration for Miss Jean Brodie in the novel that bears her name. This was one of Spark’s most successful novels which became a play in the West End and Broadway, a TV series and an Oscar winning film.
In 1951 she won the Observer short story competition and always considered that this was what set her on the road to the writing career that Miss Kay had prophesised. It led her from Camberwell bedsits and being seen as ‘frumpy’ to being the toast of New York and Rome in ‘60’s designer outfits before escaping to Tuscany for the rest of her life.
In between she had to fend off intrusive questions about her fractured relationship with her son with the assumption that she appeared to have prioritised her career over motherhood and also questions about her relationship with Penelope Jardine, her friend of 30 years in Tuscany.
The book’s title comes from an interview in which she replied to a question about ‘the cruelty and violence she inflicted on her characters and did she hate them?’
‘Oh no I love them most intensely like a cat loves a bird. You know cats do love birds; they love to fondle them’
It was a fascinating biography of a formidable, ferociously talented writer who was always the crème de la crème.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
James Bailey’s ‘Like a Cat Loves a Bird’ captures the complicated and brilliant nature of the writer, Muriel Spark. Bailey positions Spark in connection to her work, so he relates her biography to her poetry, short stories, or novels. In that way, he shows how Muriel Spark was often working with the idea of the narrator—who is in control of the overriding narrative of someone’s life? Who has the final say?
Bailey obviously covers her relationships with her parents, her loves, her son Robin, but he devotes most of his time to Muriel Spark as a writer. The biography is more an examination of her as a writer, and I appreciated the specific focus. I always find biographies get bogged down in the minutiae and forget that a text should be readable and enjoyable. Bailey’s prose is highly engaging and he has an affection for Muriel Spark which makes the book more inviting. Too often, biographers either want to do a hatchet job or they dive headfirst into hagiographic pablum. Bailey maintains a nice balance between explaining Spark’s decisions and understanding why some reacted negatively to some of her novels.
In a few places, Bailey resorts to overly lyrical prose where he’s imagining what Spark is doing at a given time. It can be a bit too precious but he redeems those instances with the many astute observations he makes. For instance, he details the similarities between Doris Lessing and Muriel Spark with regard to criticism of their mothering. He then writes of the subtle differences between the two women, and it’s fascinating.
I would also suggest that you don’t have to be a massive fan of Muriel Spark to enjoy the book. Bailey takes you through the writing of each book, and gives enough of a synopsis for each book that a new reader will understand. ‘Like a Cat Loves a Bird’ is a first-rate biography of the underrated and often overlooked Muriel Spark.
Bailey obviously covers her relationships with her parents, her loves, her son Robin, but he devotes most of his time to Muriel Spark as a writer. The biography is more an examination of her as a writer, and I appreciated the specific focus. I always find biographies get bogged down in the minutiae and forget that a text should be readable and enjoyable. Bailey’s prose is highly engaging and he has an affection for Muriel Spark which makes the book more inviting. Too often, biographers either want to do a hatchet job or they dive headfirst into hagiographic pablum. Bailey maintains a nice balance between explaining Spark’s decisions and understanding why some reacted negatively to some of her novels.
In a few places, Bailey resorts to overly lyrical prose where he’s imagining what Spark is doing at a given time. It can be a bit too precious but he redeems those instances with the many astute observations he makes. For instance, he details the similarities between Doris Lessing and Muriel Spark with regard to criticism of their mothering. He then writes of the subtle differences between the two women, and it’s fascinating.
I would also suggest that you don’t have to be a massive fan of Muriel Spark to enjoy the book. Bailey takes you through the writing of each book, and gives enough of a synopsis for each book that a new reader will understand. ‘Like a Cat Loves a Bird’ is a first-rate biography of the underrated and often overlooked Muriel Spark.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Muriel Spark has always been an enigma of sorts, a prickly and deeply self-centred individual who was no stranger to controversy and keen to craft her own mythology.
In Like a Cat Loves a Bird, James Bailey does an admirable job of tackling the late author’s self-styled narratives, neither demonising her nor fawning over her, though either would have been easy.
In this biography, Bailey has done an incredible amount of research. Every stage of Spark’s life is examined in detail, from her early years in Morningside, through her schooling at James Gillespie’s under the tutelage of the woman who would inspire the character of Jean Brodie, to her experiences as a young wife abroad, her literary beginnings, and the full metamorphosis of her career and public persona. No stone is left unturned.
While Bailey doesn’t go too in-depth into her personal life, he does shine a light and provide possible context on some of her more controversial decisions and actions, staying neutral and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Overall, I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Spark has always been a case of separating the art from the artist as far as I was concerned, but Bailey crafted a compelling look at the author and the woman behind the genius that was difficult to put down.
The only real negative was that there were a few too many spoilers for her novels that I hadn’t got round to yet, but c’est la vie.
With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.
In Like a Cat Loves a Bird, James Bailey does an admirable job of tackling the late author’s self-styled narratives, neither demonising her nor fawning over her, though either would have been easy.
In this biography, Bailey has done an incredible amount of research. Every stage of Spark’s life is examined in detail, from her early years in Morningside, through her schooling at James Gillespie’s under the tutelage of the woman who would inspire the character of Jean Brodie, to her experiences as a young wife abroad, her literary beginnings, and the full metamorphosis of her career and public persona. No stone is left unturned.
While Bailey doesn’t go too in-depth into her personal life, he does shine a light and provide possible context on some of her more controversial decisions and actions, staying neutral and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Overall, I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Spark has always been a case of separating the art from the artist as far as I was concerned, but Bailey crafted a compelling look at the author and the woman behind the genius that was difficult to put down.
The only real negative was that there were a few too many spoilers for her novels that I hadn’t got round to yet, but c’est la vie.
With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.
Review of advance copy
I really enjoyed this. In style, it reminded me of Claire Harman's book 'All Sorts of Lives: Katherine Mansfield and the Art of Risking Everything' - a mix of literary criticism and biography (in this case including some creative non-fiction). Before reading this, I didn't know much about Muriel Spark's life, and so was quite in awe of the glamour (New York, Rome, the Tuscan Hills...) as well as her work ethic and self-possession.
The book gives an engaging insight into Spark's writing process - apparently she decided a lot in advance about the characters before commencing a draft, so that she could drop in snippets of their past and future lives with utter conviction. It's clear the author James Bailey has spent hours in the archives poring over preparatory notes, letters etc. My favourite tidbit of information was that, impressed by Spark's early short stories, Graham Greene donated £20 per month and "a bottle or two of red wine with each cheque" to help keep her afloat financially while she was writing her first novel in the 1950s (p.111).
Something that struck me was how people who are now viewed as historic figures/icons litter the pages as acquaintances and compatriots. She was there, in the crucible, as the twentieth century was being forged, as the author remarks rather "Zelig-like". At the same time, one wonders if she was sometimes lonely working away at desks in New York and Rome, however glamorous the setting. Her final years, living with a friend in Tuscany, sound a welcome respite in contrast.
As another reviewer noted, it's worth being aware that there are quite a few spoilers for the plots of Spark's stories in 'Like a Cat Loves a Bird' - in particular endings/twists for The Girls of Slender Means, The Portobello Road and the Driver's Seat.
The book gives an engaging insight into Spark's writing process - apparently she decided a lot in advance about the characters before commencing a draft, so that she could drop in snippets of their past and future lives with utter conviction. It's clear the author James Bailey has spent hours in the archives poring over preparatory notes, letters etc. My favourite tidbit of information was that, impressed by Spark's early short stories, Graham Greene donated £20 per month and "a bottle or two of red wine with each cheque" to help keep her afloat financially while she was writing her first novel in the 1950s (p.111).
Something that struck me was how people who are now viewed as historic figures/icons litter the pages as acquaintances and compatriots. She was there, in the crucible, as the twentieth century was being forged, as the author remarks rather "Zelig-like". At the same time, one wonders if she was sometimes lonely working away at desks in New York and Rome, however glamorous the setting. Her final years, living with a friend in Tuscany, sound a welcome respite in contrast.
As another reviewer noted, it's worth being aware that there are quite a few spoilers for the plots of Spark's stories in 'Like a Cat Loves a Bird' - in particular endings/twists for The Girls of Slender Means, The Portobello Road and the Driver's Seat.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews