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Reposted by James Bailey

Ian Rankin @ianrankin1.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

@drjamesbailey.bsky.social I didn’t think I needed another biography of Muriel Spark. Turns out I was wrong. Kudos.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

That means a lot, Ian - thank you

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ah thank you so, so much! Some trivia - that line was inspired by the following clip from Coronation Street: youtu.be/xgMbJcAkfxA?...

youtu.be

Bet Lynch - You see this smile Betty? It's not really a smile it's the lid on a scream (15 May 1989)

YouTube video by Lewis Pringle

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THE FUTURIST! @tfuturist.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@drjamesbailey.bsky.social Like a golden leaf, it's time to gently drift into the 1st read of the Autumn season. On Chapter 3. Your writing is exquisite and the sensation is that of reading a novel. Love this sentence: "The word is a lid shut tight on a howl of despair.": referring to 'cope'.

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Till Raether @tillraether.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Dann habe ich eine Weile die neue Muriel-Spark-Biografie von James Bailey gesucht, in Hackney und Spitalsfield ausverkauft. Aber als meine Tochter bei Waterstones einen Kalender gesucht habe, stand sie da. Hurra! Ich lese gerade meinen letzten Spark-Roman und freue mich wie Bolle auf dieses Buch

Ein rot-lila Hardcover Buch vor weißem Hintergrund mit angeschnittenem Porzellan-Rind, auf dem Cover das Schwarzweißbild einer dunkelhaarigen Frau mit schwarzer Katze, Buchtitel: "Like a cat loves a Bird: The Nines Lives of Muriel Spark", James Bailey

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It’s great, isn’t it. Spark refusing to budge…

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Michael Shallcross @michaelshallcross.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Fascinating 15min audio interview with Muriel Spark from 1993, done to promote her memoir, 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑉𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑒, discovered by scouring the endnotes of @drjamesbailey.bsky.social's excellent 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝐶𝑎𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝐵𝑖𝑟𝑑: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑙 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘.

freshairarchive.org

Spark, Muriel, 1918-2006

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

(also, it’s “cyclops autumn” by now, surely)

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I went to see The Odyssey last weekend and the man sitting next to me filmed himself reacting to various scenes for his Instagram stories. After the cyclops scene he posted “cyclops summer!", and I lay in bed that night with "cyclops summer!" going around and around in my head.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Oh god, my apologies - that’s like an anxiety dream / something from Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I have yet to read Offshore, and now find myself very intrigued…

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Beautifully put. By the way, I’ve just noticed that I’m on a couple of hours before you at the Todmorden Book Festival! todmordenbookfestival.co.uk/whats-on/

todmordenbookfestival.co.uk

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Truly appreciate it, Jan 🐈‍⬛

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

End of August. I read a lot of totally mediocre contemporary novels this month and a fair few absolutely cracking books. These were my favourites.

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Janet @bookwormjan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

What an excellent biography. Muriel Spark could never be pinned down and the author accepts this but still manages to cover her life and novels in detail in such a way that you say "Oh yes, of course, what an amazing woman" and "Oh I thought the same about that book. Thank you". Highly recommend.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I’ve heard it’s alright 🤷

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Janet @bookwormjan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Next book.

Hardback copy of Like a Cat Loves a Bird
The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark by James Bailey.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Delighted to form part of the tower!

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

This is a biography as quirky, brilliant and compelling as Muriel Spark herself. Huge kudos to @drjamesbailey.bsky.social Seriously considering 2027 Might be my year of reading Spark.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I’m a big fan of this photo of Madonna looking like a visiting lecturer who will absolutely not give you an extension on your modernist poetry essay just because you chipped your tooth on a Snickers bar.

Madonna, seated at a desk in front of a typewriter and a stack of books. Madonna is wearing trousers and a white shirt.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Read my review of THE SHADOW OF THE OBJECT here: www.thetimes.com/culture/book... Or below, if you can squint:

Word count of review exceeds limit for alt text box. If you’d like the text from my review. Please message me and I’ll send it.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I'm in The Times again this weekend! I reviewed Chloe Aridjis's Booker-longlisted THE SHADOW OF THE OBJECT, a book about loss, connection, and an alsatian being a right bloody nuisance. Link to read in the next post… 🐕‍🦺

A photo of me, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. I’m holding a copy of The Times, which features my review of the Chloe Aridjis novel.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Michael, this has made my day! Thank you - have a wonderful holiday, and I hope you find much to enjoy here! 🐈‍⬛

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Reposted by James Bailey

Michael Shallcross @michaelshallcross.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Holiday reading, picked up yesterday from York's new branch of Topping & Co., signed in style by @drjamesbailey.bsky.social

Hardback edition of 'Like a Cat Loves a Bird: the Nine Lives of Muriel Spark' by James Bailey

Title page of the same book, signed by the author, with an elegant cartoon of a cat tagged on

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Thank you - Manchester Public Libraries official merch! 📚

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Thank you, Frances (on both counts!)

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

As the great lady herself once said: thank you 💚

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Rereading: The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark

Word count of article exceeds limit of the text box. Please get in touch if you’d like me to send you a copy of the text.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I’m in The Times today! I've written about Muriel Spark's The Driver's Seat, obeying your own 'queer dictatorial sense’, and scaring yourself to death while writing. Scarier still, I've just taken off my cap to find I’ve been left with a hairstyle reminiscent of Dido in her early-00s heyday.

Me, holding a copy of The Times, featuring an article with the headline ‘Rereading: The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark’. My hair is flicking out to the side.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Stewart! Thank you for such kind words about the book, and for alerting me to that excellent pinned image (Muriel being her reliably resourceful self - move over Martin Lewis…)

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Reposted by James Bailey

Stewart Parsons @libraryfiend.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

As a lifelong devotee of Ms Spark, it was incumbent of me to stock this fabulous volume, once my wife and I took ownership of our indie bookshop - good work James. Muriel was polite enough to reply to my eager teenaged letter back in my 'dole years'. Image pinned in bio.

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Stewart Parsons @libraryfiend.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I have long enjoyed writing to my literary heroes. No more so than as a romantic book-mad 20year-old, pre library employment. Muriel Spark was quick to recommend the library as a source for her further reading faves to save me 'dipping into my dole'. How I treasure this letter #libraries

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Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

On my Reading List:

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Amber! That really means a lot - thank you. She’s a complex, confounding presence, but there was so much fun to be had in tracing the strange shape of her life (or many lives!). Really pleased you’re enjoying it 🐈‍⬛

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Amber Elizabeth @amberelizabeth.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Been absolutely pinned to this for the past few days. THIS is the book to introduce anyone to my Muriel Spark, the author I have so long adored. Complex, compelling, challenging, and an utter joy - impossible to pin down to a single definition. @drjamesbailey.bsky.social understands her implicitly.

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

That’s lovely to hear - thank you! Did I meet you both at one of the bookshop events?

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Oh my goodness - thank you for telling me! I’m so pleased it’s being enjoyed 🐈‍⬛

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Janet @bookwormjan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

@drjamesbailey.bsky.social She hasn't been able to put it down. She's even bought it out with her. She days it's brilliant.

Daughter reading When a Cat Loves a Bird

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

It’s good to know it’s online at least! If any of them get back to you, do let me know - and thanks again!

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James Bailey @drjamesbailey.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Oh, thank you! I wonder if it made it into print…

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