Author Doris Lessing Receives Nobel Prize in Literature

Originally born in what is now Iran to British parents, raised in colonial Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and settling in London, Doris Lessing has encountered overwhelming trials and tribulations throughout her life. The author left school when she was 14, and by the time she moved to London in 1949, she had worked multiple jobs, married and divorced twice and had given birth to three children. Through her writings, she rejected the notion that women should abandon their lives to marriage and children. Because of her outspoken views, she was declared a "prohibited alien" in 1956 by both Southern Rhodesia and South Africa. However, those views inspired a generation of feminists.

Throughout her life, Lessing has written influential books of fiction, plays, non-fiction and an autobiography. Today she became the 11th woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. The Literature award is the fourth of this year's Nobel prizes, which are given for achievements in science, literature, economics, and peace.