Thuig Spark gur i ‘neach airidh air sgrìobhadair’ agus sann oirre a stèidhich i caractar Jean Brodie. B’ann innte a bhuannaich Spark bho theagaisg Cairistìona Kay. Tha Cathy NicDhòmhnaill a’mìneachadh na chleachd Spark gus aon de na nobhailean as fheàrr san 20mh linn ullachadh - b’iad a h-eòlas mu Dhùn Èideann eadar na cogaidhean, faististeach a’dol am meud, a làithean-sgoile agus neach-teagaisg misneachail.Ĭhaidh Spark gu Sgoil Chaileagan Sheumais Gilleasbuig, ainmeil ( neo fiù’s neo-ainmeil!) san nobhail mar Sgoil Marcia Blane. ’S i Brodie obair cho cliùiteach ’s a sgrìobh an t- Albannach Muriel Spark-mu neach-teagaisg ficseanach ann an nobhail leasaichte son àrd-ùrlar, sgrìn neo telebhisean. Miss Kay encouraged her young pupil to write – and inspired Miss Brodie’s famous line, ‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life.’ Spark would later refer to Miss Kay ‘a character in search of an author’ and based Jean Brodie on her. It was there that Spark fell under the influence of teacher Christina Kay. Spark was educated at James Gillespie’s School for Girls – made famous (or perhaps infamous!) in her novel as the Marcia Blane School.

Cathy MacDonald reveals how Spark used her experience of Edinburgh between the wars, the rise of fascism, her own schooldays and an inspirational teacher to shape one of the great novels of the 20th century. Jean Brodie is Scottish writer Muriel Spark’s most famous creation - the fictional teacher in a novel that has also been adapted for stage, screen and television.

The prime of miss jean