An award-winning biographer says celebrated novelist Muriel Spark would have been fascinated by social media, online identity, and the modern information age ahead of a special literary event in Worcester next month.
James Bailey, author of Muriel Spark biography Like a Cat Loves a Bird, will visit The Hive on Wednesday 14 October for an evening exploring the life, work and lasting legacy of one of Britain’s most original literary voices.
The event, which is free to attend, will feature an in-conversation discussion between James and Tom Mandall, Academic Liaison Librarian at The Hive, followed by a panel discussion with University of Worcester academics and literary specialists.
“I’m really excited to come to Worcester,” said James. “It’s going to be a really unique event. I’ve done quite a few events since the book launched but this seems like such a unique way to delve into Spark, joining Tom Mandall for a conversational interview and then having the panel of experts, as well as an audience who will be really engaged.”
Dame Spark, best known for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, is widely regarded as one of the most inventive writers of her time.
“Muriel Spark took a lot of risks in her writing,” said James. “One minute you’re reading a ghost story, then it’s a social satire, and then you’ll have a detective novel turned inside out, so you never really know what you’re going to get next with her.”
James said Spark doesn’t always get the recognition she deserves.
“Perhaps not,” he said. “I think her body of work can be overshadowed by the success of certain novels; she’s most famous for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which went on to become an Academy Award-winning film, but I do think things are changing now.”
He added: “There’s much more conversation about her now, and events like this open her work out to a broader audience because it really speaks to the times we live in now. In her novel The Public Image, she writes about a movie star who’s navigating her public persona, which really speaks to our current time where we all have the access to the tools to have an image we can manipulate and modify.”
James said Spark’s fascination with identity, reputation and perception would have made today’s digital world a subject of great interest to her.
“She would have been very interested in social media, and the tools we have to curate our own public image,” he said. “She would have been in awe of the way news works and information is spread, and I’m sure she’d have been really interested in the way that our attention works now, how we all have so many tabs open in our minds.”
Tom Mandall, who’ll be hosting the event, said: “The evening’s discussions won’t assume any level of knowledge at all; it’s just as much an event for someone who has read every one of Muriel Spark’s books as it is for someone who’s just curious about her.”
“This will be an unusual and thought-provoking evening,” he added. “But Muriel Spark was an unusual and thought-provoking writer.”
There is no charge for tickets to this event, but booking is strongly advised as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Book your tickets by visiting the University of Worcester’s news pages, or by following this link:
Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Muriel Spark Party- Wednesday 14th October 2026, The Hive.