Muriel Spark
Sir: This is a very hard letter to write. I don't mind showing my ignorance, but] don't want to be thought either stupid or spiteful.
I know that Muriel Spark has been rich and famous for a very longtime. I know that the writings of the rich and famous have a certain interest, glamour too, even if it is only a laundry list they have written. I also know that Muriel Spark doesn't at all care for being underestimated as a poetess. So what am I missing when 'The Three Kings' leaves me cold? I don't see the point of it. It doesn't seem in any way difficult to do. When read aloud, it even sounds like a laundry list.
If you will give me the credit for genuinely wanting to know what I am missing, will someone explain why 'The Three Kings' is a literary achievement rather than a confidence trick? To say 'If you can't see it for yourself, nobody can explain it to you' will not be accepted as an explanation.
Don Peters 32 Newman Street, London W1
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