“I stood looking down out of the window. The street seemed miles down. Suddenly I felt as if I'd flung myself out of the window. I could see myself lying on the pavement. Then I seemed to be standing by the body on the pavement. I was two people. Blood and brains were scattered everywhere. I knelt down and began licking up the blood and brains”

British novelist and Nobel laureate in Literature, 1995. Her work spans decades, from early socialist fiction to later explorations of human consciousness and the complexities of aging. Known for novels like *The Golden Notebook* and *The Grass Is Singing*, she also wrote short stories and plays, often examining power, gender, and the search for meaning.