17 moments

1. Birth in Kermanshah

   1919-10-22 · Kermanshah, Iran

   Doris May Tayler, later Doris Lessing, was born in Kermanshah to British parents.

2. Family relocation to Southern Rhodesia

   1925-01-01 · Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe)

   As a child, Lessing relocated with her family to Southern Rhodesia, where her father established a farm. Coordinates are a representative point for the former colony because the family farm is not identified in the cited evidence.

3. Telephone operator in Salisbury

   1937-01-01 · Salisbury (present-day Harare), Southern Rhodesia

   Lessing moved to Salisbury and worked as a telephone operator before her first marriage.

4. Move to London with Peter Lessing

   1949-01-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

   After her second divorce, Lessing moved to London with her younger son Peter to pursue writing and socialist political commitments. Coordinates represent central London; the cited text does not identify an address.

5. Political trip to Prague

   1952-06-01 · Prague, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic)

   Lessing travelled to Prague during a Communist Party-related journey that continued to Moscow.

6. Return to London from the Soviet Union

   1952-07-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

   After returning from the Soviet Union, Lessing gave talks in London about her experiences there. The source gives mid-July but not a specific day.

7. Refused entry after landing in Johannesburg

   1956-01-01 · Johannesburg, South Africa

   During a southern African political trip, Lessing landed in Johannesburg but was refused entry and sent onward to Southern Rhodesia. The source establishes the year but not a month or day for the Johannesburg landing.

8. Threat received in a Bulawayo café

   1956-01-01 · Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe)

   While visiting Southern Rhodesia, Lessing received a racially motivated threat in a café in Bulawayo after publication of The Grass Is Singing. The source gives the year but not a more precise date.

9. First post-exile return to Zimbabwe

   1982-01-01 · Zimbabwe

   

   Lessing returned to Zimbabwe after the end of Rhodesian minority rule; the journey became part of African Laughter. Coordinates are a representative point for Zimbabwe because this source does not identify a locality.

10. Massey Lectures in Toronto

    1985-01-01 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    

    Lessing delivered the Massey Lectures in Toronto; they were later collected as Prisons We Choose to Live Inside. The source gives a city and year, but no individual lecture dates or venues.

11. World Science Fiction Convention appearance

    1987-08-01 · Brighton, England, United Kingdom

    Lessing attended the 45th World Science Fiction Convention as Writer Guest of Honor and made a speech. The convention was held in Brighton from 27 August to 1 September 1987; the cited Lessing article supports attendance but not an individual appearance date.

12. Return visit to Zimbabwe

    1988-01-01 · Zimbabwe

    

    Lessing made another documented journey to Zimbabwe, later recounted in African Laughter. Coordinates are a representative point for Zimbabwe because this source does not identify a locality.

13. Final African Laughter visit

    1992-02-01 · Zimbabwe

    

    Lessing returned to Zimbabwe in February 1992, supplying the final postscript to African Laughter. Coordinates are a representative point for Zimbabwe because the source does not identify a locality.

14. London base after five decades

    1999-01-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

    

    A 1999 profile recorded Lessing’s long-standing London base, after earlier residences in Notting Hill and Earl's Court. Coordinates represent central London; the quotation describes a city-wide residence history.

15. Prince of Asturias award ceremony speech

    2001-10-01 · Teatro Campoamor, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

    Lessing spoke at the Prince of Asturias awards ceremony at Oviedo's Teatro Campoamor after receiving the Literature prize. The report, dated 26 October 2001, describes the ceremony as having occurred the previous day; month precision is retained to avoid a date conflict.

16. At home after Nobel announcement

    2007-10-11 · West Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom

    Lessing was at her West Hampstead home when reporters gathered following the announcement of her Nobel Prize in Literature. Coordinates represent West Hampstead rather than the undisclosed private home address.

17. Death at West Hampstead home

    2013-11-17 · West Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom

    

    Lessing died at her home in West Hampstead, London, aged 94. Coordinates represent West Hampstead rather than the undisclosed private home address.