Doris Lessing

British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer, and short story writer (1919–2013)
Person human Q40874
Doris Lessing
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Doris Lessing

Summary

Doris Lessing is a human[1]. She was born in Kermanshah[2]. She was born on October 22, 1919[3]. She passed away in London[4]. She died on November 17, 2013[5]. She worked as a writer[6], poet[7], novelist[8], playwright[9], and autobiographer[10]. She ranks in the top 0.62% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,706 views/month, #6,228 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Doris Lessing was born in Kermanshah[2].
  • Doris Lessing passed away in London[4].
  • Doris Lessing was born on October 22, 1919[3].
  • Doris Lessing died on November 17, 2013[5].
  • Burial took place at Golders Green Crematorium[12].
  • Doris Lessing was married to Gottfried Lessing[13].
  • Doris Lessing held citizenship in United Kingdom[14].
  • Doris Lessing held citizenship in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[15].
  • Doris Lessing worked as a writer[6].
  • Doris Lessing's professions included poet[7].
  • Doris Lessing worked as a novelist[8].
  • Doris Lessing's professions included playwright[9].
  • Doris Lessing's professions included autobiographer[10].
  • Doris Lessing's professions included screenwriter[16].
  • Doris Lessing's field of work was poetry[17].
  • Doris Lessing's field of work was essay[18].
  • Doris Lessing was educated at Dominican Convent High School[19].
  • A notable work attributed to Doris Lessing is The Grass Is Singing[20].
  • A notable work attributed to Doris Lessing is The Golden Notebook[21].
  • A notable work attributed to Doris Lessing is The Good Terrorist[22].
  • A notable work attributed to Doris Lessing is The Cleft[23].
  • A notable work attributed to Doris Lessing is The Memoirs of a Survivor[24].
  • Doris Lessing received the Nobel Prize in Literature[25].
  • Doris Lessing received the Somerset Maugham Award[26].
  • Doris Lessing received the WH Smith Literary Award[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Doris Lessing was born in Kermanshah[2]. She was born on October 22, 1919[3].

Education

Doris Lessing's education included a stint at Dominican Convent High School[19].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include writer[6], poet[7], novelist[8], playwright[9], autobiographer[10], and screenwriter[16]. Fields of work include poetry[17], a literary form[28] and essay[18], a literary genre[29].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include The Grass Is Singing[20], The Golden Notebook[21], The Good Terrorist[22], The Cleft[23], and The Memoirs of a Survivor[24].

Recognition

Awards received include Nobel Prize in Literature[25], a literary award[30], in Sweden[31], founded in 1901[32]; Somerset Maugham Award[26], a literary award[33], in United Kingdom[34], founded in 1947[35]; WH Smith Literary Award[27], an award[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1959[38]; Grinzane Cavour Prize[39], a literary award[40], in Italy[41], founded in 1982[42]; James Tait Black Memorial Prize[43], a literary award[44], in United Kingdom[45], founded in 1919[46]; and David Cohen Prize[47], a literary award[48], in United Kingdom[49], founded in 1993[50].

Personal Life

Doris Lessing was married to Gottfried Lessing[13].

Death and Burial

Doris Lessing died on November 17, 2013[5]. She passed away in London[4]. The cause of death was stroke[51]. She is buried at Golders Green Crematorium[12].

Why It Matters

Doris Lessing ranks in the top 0.62% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,706 views/month, #6,228 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[52] She is known by 29 alternative names across languages and contexts.[53]

She has been cited as an influence by Margaret Atwood[54], a writer[55], b. 1939[56], of Canada[57], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[58], specialised in poetry[59]; Toni Morrison[60], a writer[61], 1931–2019[62], of United States[63], awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature[64], specialised in poetry[65]; and Joyce Carol Oates[66], a playwright[67], b. 1938[68], of United States[69], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[70], specialised in poetry[71].

Works attributed to her include The Golden Notebook[72], a literary work[73]; The Grass Is Singing[74], a written work[75]; The Fifth Child[76], a literary work[77]; Canopus in Argos[78], a literary pentalogy[79], founded in 1979[80]; The Good Terrorist[81], a written work[82]; and Shikasta[83].

FAQs

Where was Doris Lessing born?

Born in Kermanshah[2], Doris Lessing…

Where did Doris Lessing die?

Doris Lessing passed away in London[4].

Who was Doris Lessing married to?

Doris Lessing's spouses include Gottfried Lessing[13].

What did Doris Lessing do for work?

Doris Lessing worked as writer[6], poet[7], novelist[8], playwright[9], and autobiographer[10].

Where did Doris Lessing go to school?

Doris Lessing was educated at Dominican Convent High School[19].

What awards did Doris Lessing receive?

Honors received include Nobel Prize in Literature[25], Somerset Maugham Award[26], WH Smith Literary Award[27], and Grinzane Cavour Prize[39].

Who did Doris Lessing influence?

Doris Lessing has been cited as an influence by Margaret Atwood[54], Toni Morrison[60], and Joyce Carol Oates[66].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Find a Grave. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  5. [15] . wikidata.org.
  6. [19] . wikidata.org.
  7. [17] . wikidata.org.
  8. [18] . wikidata.org.
  9. [6] . Concise Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [7] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [8] . wikidata.org.
  12. [9] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [10] . wikidata.org.
  14. [16] . wikidata.org.
  15. [12] . Find a Grave. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [25] . nobelprize.org. nobelprize.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [26] . societyofauthors.org. Retrieved . societyofauthors.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [27] . wikidata.org.
  19. [39] . Who's Who. wikidata.org.
  20. [43] . wikidata.org.
  21. [47] . Who's Who. davidcohenprize.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [51] . wikidata.org.
  23. [3] . Concise Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved . brockhaus.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . theguardian.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [20] . wikidata.org.
  26. [21] . wikidata.org.
  27. [22] . wikidata.org.
  28. [23] . wikidata.org.
  29. [24] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [54] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [60] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [66] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [72] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [74] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [76] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [78] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [81] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [83] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  37. [75] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [80] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [82] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [52] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [53] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Doris Lessing. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/doris-lessing
MLA “Doris Lessing.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/doris-lessing.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_doris-lessing_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Doris Lessing}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/doris-lessing}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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  1. 1d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
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    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32085|batch #32085]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (27)"
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