’A landmark novel, a book that both changed and explained a generation ... Lessing is one of the finest writers of the century’

--Natasha Walter, Independent

’Lessing’s finest work. The Golden Notebook captured the heady mix of the early Sixties, when not just novels but political certainties were dissolving’

--Malcolm Bradbury, Mail on Sunday

’This ambitious novel has no equal’

--Guardian

First published in 1962 and now considered one of the major works of twentieth-century literature, The Golden Notebook is the story of Anna Wulf, a divorced single mother and novelist, labouring against writer’s block in 1950s London. Fearful of going mad, she records her experiences in four co[oured notebooks. The black notebook records her writing life, the red her political views, the yellow notebook her emotional life and the blue everyday events. But it is the fifth notebook - the golden notebook - that brings the strands of her life together and holds the key to her recovery.

Bold, illuminating and indispensable, The Golden Notebook is a powerful account of a woman searching for her personal and political identity, negotiating the trauma of emotional rejection and sexual betrayal, professional anxieties, and the tensions of friendship and family.

Preface

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The Black Notebook

The Red Notebook

The Yellow Notebook

The Blue Notebook

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The Black Notebook

The Red Notebook

The Yellow Notebook

The Blue Notebook

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The Black Notebook

The Red Notebook

The Yellow Notebook

The Blue Notebook

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The Black Notebook

The Red Notebook

The Yellow Notebook

The Blue Notebook

The Golden Notebook

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