Doris Lessing

Just putting this here for now...
http://www.mhpbooks.com/doris-lessings-personal-book-collection-has-been-donated...

She spent her childhood in Zimbabwe, and lived there until age 25 when she moved to London. She later returned to Zimbabwe, but was exiled in 1954 after criticizing the government, and wasn’t able to return until 1982, after the country achieved independence.

Only it wasn't called "Zimbabwe" until 1982. The country, or rather, colony she grew up in and was exiled from was (Northern) Rhodesia.

EDIT: Southern Rhodesia. Thanks, Africansky1.

Has the Lessing collection now been transported to Harare ? I hope the Lessing bequest came with funding to catalogue , and store the collection . 30000 books is a huge collection. The Zimbabwe government is pretty broke . Anyone able to report on the condition of the Harare city library ? Anyone interested in Doris Lessing should read the articles in the London review of .books by the late Jenny Diski . Northern Rhodesia is today's Zambia and Southern Rhodesia is today's Zimbabwe . More often Southern Rhodesia was just called Rhodesia . I think Lessing lived in Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe ) not northern Rhodesia (Zambia) .

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/30/doris-lessing-library-a-life-in-40...

Nick Holdstock on cataloging the books in Lessing's London house. No mention of 30 000 - he says "more than 4000"

Quoth the Guardian: "This article was removed as it was launched early in error. It will be reinstated at the correct time."

A 2016 article giving a couple names of people who are in charge of things:
https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2016/05/01/harare-library-unveils-doris-les...

More:
http://www.pachikoro.co.zw/2016/05/doris-lessing-special-collection/

This article says the collection is cataloged (and confirms the appx. 3500 number):
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2016/05/08/doris-lessings-last-gift-zim-collection...

>5 Muscogulus: The Guardian article has been restored:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/07/doris-lessing-library-a-life-in-40...

Message from the Doris Lessing Society (when I asked about an inventory):

Not anywhere online that I’m aware of, Benjamin. But it’s a good question. You could try contacting the library directly: http://www.hararecitylibrary.org/htm/contacts.htm