Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: The Atlantic Out Loud
Episode: The Judgments of Muriel Spark
Description: The novelist liked playing God—a very capricious one.
By Judith Shulevitz
From the September 2025 issue.
Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices