In his regular “Small, But Perfectly Formed” column at Bookslut, James Morrison files an appreciation of Muriel Spark, author of such classic short novels as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Girls of Slender Means, and The Abbess of Crewe. “There can be few living writers so expert at the condensed, every-word-must-count brilliance of the finest novellas,” Morrison says. In fact, he notes that her “long and continuing career as a writer has consisted most importantly of a singular collection of bleak, funny, and often savage short novels.” He also notes that Spark, when asked if she could write longer books, replied, “Yes, I do . . . [but] there’s nothing I can do about it. I feel I should give them something more to take home for their money.” Morrison also offers a list, and description, of those of her titles he considers most significant.