Britain's Lessing wins Nobel for literature

By Sarah Edmonds and Niklas Pollard

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - British novelist Doris Lessing won the 2007 Nobel Prize for literature on Thursday for a body of work that looked unflinchingly at society's ills and inspired a generation of feminist writers.

The Swedish Academy, which awards the 10 million crown ($1.54 million) prize, called the 87-year-old an "epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny".

The oldest person to win a Nobel for literature, Lessing was only the 34th female laureate since the prizes began in 1901 and the 11th woman to take the literature award.

Lessing was shopping when the news of her Nobel broke and learned of it from reporters gathered outside her London house.

She said the prize had dealt her the literary equivalent of the best possible hand in poker.

"I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one. I'm delighted to win them all, the whole lot," she told reporters as she sat on her front steps.

"It's a royal flush."

Lessing said an official connected with the Nobels once came up to her at a "very, very formal dinner" in Sweden and told her she would never win the prize.