The Cleft

Winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. Doris Lessing brings the world a brilliant creationism story centered around an ancient community of women known as the Clefts. Researched by and told by an aging Roman senator, the story of the Clefts begins with first fertilizing wind and traces their history through the birth of a deformed child of the male variety. With their community thrown into jeopardy, the women soon witness the first rape, the first consensual sex, and the birth of a new species. Another brilliant work from Lessing, "The Cleft" examines many themes that have previously been addressed by her work and offers new insight into the ongoing struggle between the genders.