Remembering Iris Murdoch: Letters and Interviews

Through his work as a literary biographer, Jeffrey Meyers met Murdoch in 1978. Over the next 17 years the two continued to correspond, completing an interview for the Paris Review "Writers at Work" series and becoming friends. In her letters, published for the first time in this volume, Murdoch discusses literature; her unprovoked quarrel with Rebecca West; production of her play The Black Prince; her political views; and her laments at the difficulty writing at the onset of Alzheimer's. This book also includes a memoir of Iris, two interviews with her (with important deleted passages), and a discussion of memoirs by A. N. Wilson and John Bayley. This lively and interesting book, which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of a major modern novelist, will be warmly welcomed by both scholars and readers.