Doris May Lessing CH (née Tayler; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer. This box set includes Martha's Quest, A Proper Marriage, Landlocked, The Four-Gated City and A Ripple from the Storm.

Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described her as "that epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny". Lessing was the eleventh woman and the oldest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

In 2001, Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime achievement in British literature. In 2008, The Times ranked her fifth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".