The Memoirs of a Survivor

Doris Lessing described The Memoirs of a Survivor as ‘an attempt at autobiography’, but the book – set in a frightening near-future world amidst the collapse of civilisation – has the magical quality of a fable or allegory. From her window, the narrator watches a city where everyone has to fight for survival, and where men, women and even children are brutalised by necessity. She also watches over Emily, a girl entrusted to her while a child by a stranger who vanishes. Emily herself is guarded too by Hugo – an animal half-dog and half-cat – a creature who dominates this tale.