The Driver's Seat (novel)

The Driver's Seat
First UK edition
AuthorMuriel Spark
LanguageEnglish
PublisherMacmillan
Publication date
1970
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages180
ISBN0-333-11525-2
OCLC1148423

The Driver's Seat is a novella by Muriel Spark. Published in 1970, it was advertised as "a metaphysical shocker". It is in the psychological thriller genre, dealing with themes of alienation, isolation and loss of spiritual values.

It was made into a film in 1974 starring Elizabeth Taylor and featuring Andy Warhol. In the U.S the film was renamed Identikit. Spark described it as one of her favourite novels.

The Driver's Seat was, on 26 March 2010, one of six novels to be nominated for “Lost Man Booker Prize” of 1970, "a contest delayed by 40 years because a reshuffling of the fledgeling competition’s rules that year disqualified nearly a year’s worth of high-quality fiction from consideration."[1]

In 2015, it was adapted for the stage by Laurie Sansom for a National Theatre of Scotland production, which premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.[2]

  1. ^ Hoyle, Ben (26 March 2010). "Author waits to hear if she has won 'lost Booker' prize 40 years on". The Times Online. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  2. ^ McMillan, Joyce (20 June 2015). "Theatre review: The Driver's Seat, Royal Lyceum". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.