Iris Murdoch

The story of a lay community of mixed-up people encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an enclosed order of nuns, follows the lives of Dora Greenfield, an erring wife who returns to her husband, and Michael Meade, who is confronted by his homosexual former lover. Repriint.

The Bell

Under the Net

Bradley Pearson, an unsuccessful novelist in his late fifties, writes about his life, describes his difficult relationships with his family and friends, and reveals desperate his inner struggles to face the reality of failure. Reprint.

The Black Prince

What is obvious to Murdoch, and to all those who read her work, is that Good transcends everything, even God. In these essays, she explores questions of good and bad, myth and morality.

The Sovereignty of Good

A respected Whitehall civil servant is asked to investigate the suicide of a colleague and begins to feel trapped by the after-effects of violence.

The Nice and the Good

The Unicorn

A writer of detective fiction who has not recovered from the loss of his wife becomes involved in the life of a neighbor's family

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine

Jake, a hack writer and broke, seeks out an old girlfriend, and assumes an acquaintance with Hugo "a philosopher". His meetings with Hugo involve Jake and his companion Finn in a series of adventures.

VINTAGE CLASSIC MURDOCH- Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. To celebrate her centenary Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY DAISY JOHNSON 'I saw a monster rising from the waves.' Charles Arrowby has determined to spend the rest of his days in hermit-like contemplation. He buys a mysteriously damp house on the coast, far from the heady world of the theatre where he made his name, and there he swims in the sea, eats revolting meals and writes his memoirs. But then he meets his childhood sweetheart Hartley, and memories of her lovely, younger self crowd in - along with more recent lovers and friends - to disrupt his self-imposed exile. So instead of 'learning to be good', Charles proceeds to demonstrate how very bad he can be.

The Sea, the Sea

Edmund has escaped from his family into a lonely life. Returning for his mother's funeral he rediscovers the eternal family servant, the ever-changing Italian girl, who was always "a second mother."

The Italian Girl

In a study of obsession, love, betrayal, and friendship, a group of friends gathers at a midsummer ball at Oxford and the actions of one of them--a radical genius named David Crimond--sets off a crisis

The Book and the Brotherhood

Young Edward Baltram's prank of giving his friend Mark Wilsden a drug-infused sandwich and his stepbrother Stuart's decision to forsake a promising academic career for social work bring consternation to their parents and elders. Reprint.

The Good Apprentice

A collection of the author's most influential essays and short works includes her critique of existentialism, her two dialogues on art and religion, key texts on the continuing importance of the sublime, the concept of love, and more.

Writings on Philosophy and Literature

Existentialists and Mystics

The Philosopher's Pupil

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البحر البحر

El mar, el mar

Exploring biblical and medieval themes in a contemporary London setting, the story of two brothers, a murder gone awry, and the outrageous demands of a stranger is filled with symbolism, humor, and suspense. Reprint.

The Green Knight

The quiet life of schoolmaster Bill Mor and his wife Nan is disturbed when a young woman, Rain Carter, arrives at the school to paint the portrait of the headmaster. Mor, hoping to enter politics, becomes aware of new desires. A complex battle develops, involving love, guilt, magic, art and political ambition. Mor's teenage children and their mother fight discreetly and ruthlessly against the invader. The Head, himself enchanted, advises Mor to seize the girl and run. The final decision rests with Rain. Can a 'great love' be purchased at too high a price?

The Sandcastle

"Iris Murdoch has written a book which concerns all of us as human beings. There are pages here that one wants to embrace her for, pages that say things of fundamental human importance in a way that they have never quite been said before." --"Sunday Telegraph" The decline of religion and ever increasing influence of science pose acute ethical issues for us all. Can we reject the literal truth of the Gospels yet still retain a Christian morality? Can we defend any 'moral values' against the constant encroachments of technology? Indeed, are we in danger of losing most of the qualities which make us truly human? Here, drawing on a novelists insight into art, literature and abnormal psychology, Iris Murdoch conducts an ongoing debate with major writers, thinkers and theologians -- from Augustine to Wittgenstein, Shakespeare to Sartre, Plato to Derrida -- to provide fresh and compelling answers to these crucial questions.

Iris Murdoch

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