Muriel Spark (1918-2006) was the author of dozens of novels, includingThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Memento Mori, A Far Cry from Kensington, The Girls of Slender Means, The Ballad of Peckham Rye, The Driver'apos;s Seat, and many more. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993.