Iris Murdoch

Date of Birth: July 15, 1919

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Date of Death: February 8, 1999

Biography

Iris Murdoch was a renowned British novelist and philosopher, born on July 15, 1919, in Dublin, Ireland. She is best known for her intricate novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Murdoch’s early education took place at Badminton School in Bristol, and she later attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she studied classics. After World War II, she worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in Austria and Belgium. Murdoch’s literary career began with the publication of her first novel, “Under the Net,” in 1954, which was immediately recognized for its originality and intellectual depth. Over the next four decades, she wrote 26 novels, including notable works such as “The Bell” (1958), “A Severed Head” (1961), “The Black Prince” (1973), and “The Sea, The Sea” (1978), which won the Booker Prize. Apart from her novels, Murdoch was also a respected philosopher, publishing several philosophical works, including “Sartre: Romantic Rationalist” (1953) and “The Sovereignty of Good” (1970). Her philosophical ideas often permeated her fiction, blending rich narrative with profound ethical questions. Murdoch was married to John Bayley, a fellow writer and literary critic, in 1956. Their marriage was famously chronicled in Bayley’s memoirs and later adapted into the film “Iris,” starring Judi Dench and Kate Winslet. Iris Murdoch’s later years were marred by Alzheimer’s disease, which she battled courageously until her death on February 8, 1999, in Oxford, England. Her legacy continues to influence and inspire readers and thinkers around the world.

5 Interesting Facts about Iris Murdoch

1. Iris Murdoch was the first woman to win the Booker Prize for fiction with her novel “The Sea, The Sea” in 1978.

2. She was knighted as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1987 for her contributions to literature.

3. Murdoch’s novel “Under the Net” was listed in Modern Library’s list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

4. She was an accomplished philosopher and held a fellowship at St Anne’s College, Oxford, for many years.

5. Her life and battle with Alzheimer’s disease were depicted in the film “Iris,” which received critical acclaim and several award nominations.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Iris Murdoch

1. “Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.”

2. “We can only learn to love by loving.”

3. “Happiness is a matter of one’s most ordinary and everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self.”

4. “The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values.”

5. “Art is the most sublime mission of man since it is the expression of thought seeking to understand the world and to make it understood.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of her career, Iris Murdoch’s net worth was estimated to be approximately $1 million, a considerable amount for an author of her time, reflecting her successful literary career.