NEW : The BBC CEO says Lessing had ` ` a fierce intellect and a warm heart '' Lessing ` ` passed away peacefully '' at her London home , he says . ` ` I was born to write , '' she said . Lessing won the Nobel prize in literature at the age of forty .
NEW : HarperCollins UK CEO says Lessing had `` a fierce intellect and a warm heart '' Lessing `` passed away peacefully '' at her London home , publisher says . `` I was born to write , '' Lessing said . Lessing won the Nobel prize in literature at the age of 88 .