The Fifth Child

The Fifth Child
First edition
AuthorDoris Lessing
LanguageEnglish
PublisherJonathan Cape
Publication date
1988
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages159
ISBN0-224-02553-8
OCLC21411827
Followed byBen, in the World 

The Fifth Child is a short novel by the British writer Doris Lessing, first published in the United Kingdom in 1988, and since translated into several languages. It describes the changes in the happy life of a married couple, Harriet and David Lovatt, as a consequence of the birth of Ben, their fifth child. A sequel, Ben, in the World (2000) recounts Ben's life after he has left his family.[1][2]

  1. ^ Helen T. Verongos (17 November 2013). "Doris Lessing, Author Who Swept Aside Convention, Is Dead at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. ^ Alex Clark (17 June 2000). "Ben, In the World". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2015.