Doris Lessing Quote
Maryrose smiled good-humouredly, and remained in the circle of his arm, but as if she detached herself from him and every other man. Very many as it were professionally pretty girls have this gift of allowing themselves to be touched, kissed, held, as if this were a fee they have to pay to Providence for being born beautiful. There is a tolerant smile which goes with a submission to the hands of men, like a yawn or a patient sigh. But there was more to it, in Maryrose’s case. Maryrose, said Ted, bluffly, looking down at the gleaming little head at rest on his shoulder, why don’t you love any of us, why don’t you let any of us love you? Maryrose merely smiled, and even in this broken light, branch-and-leaf-stippled, her brown eyes showed enormous and shone softly. Maryrose has a broken heart, observed Willi above my head. Broken hearts belong to old-fashioned novels, said Paul. They don’t go with the time we live in. On the contrary, said Ted. There are more broken hearts than there have ever been, just because of the times we live in. In fact I’m sure any heart we are ever likely to meet is so cracked and jarred and split it’s just a mass of scar tissue. Maryrose smiled up at Ted, shyly, but gratefully, and said seriously: Yes, of course that’s true.
Maryrose smiled good-humouredly, and remained in the circle of his arm, but as if she detached herself from him and every other man. Very many as it were professionally pretty girls have this gift of allowing themselves to be touched, kissed, held, as if this were a fee they have to pay to Providence for being born beautiful. There is a tolerant smile which goes with a submission to the hands of men, like a yawn or a patient sigh. But there was more to it, in Maryrose’s case. Maryrose, said Ted, bluffly, looking down at the gleaming little head at rest on his shoulder, why don’t you love any of us, why don’t you let any of us love you? Maryrose merely smiled, and even in this broken light, branch-and-leaf-stippled, her brown eyes showed enormous and shone softly. Maryrose has a broken heart, observed Willi above my head. Broken hearts belong to old-fashioned novels, said Paul. They don’t go with the time we live in. On the contrary, said Ted. There are more broken hearts than there have ever been, just because of the times we live in. In fact I’m sure any heart we are ever likely to meet is so cracked and jarred and split it’s just a mass of scar tissue. Maryrose smiled up at Ted, shyly, but gratefully, and said seriously: Yes, of course that’s true.
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About Doris Lessing
Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described her as "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny". Lessing was the oldest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, at age 87.
In 2001 Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime's achievement in British literature. In 2008 The Times ranked her fifth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".