The Iris Murdoch Society podcast

In this podcast I'm joined by Gillian Dooley (Flinders University, Australia) and Elin Svenneby to discuss Murdoch, music and singing. Along the way we cover most of the novels, consider how the philosophy of Plato, Schopenhauer and Weil might be connected to her thoughts about this artform, and discuss natural sounds and silence. Gillian's latest book: https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783030189662 Elin's Book: https://www.haugenbok.no/iris-murdochs-velvalgte-ord/svenneby-elin/9788274191662

Joining me to discuss William Golding, Doris Lessing and Muriel Spark in relation to their own work (and Iris!) are James Bailey (University of Sheffield), Nicola Presley (University of Bath Spa), and Nonia Williams (University of East Anglia). We cover the novels, of course, but also politics, feminism, WW2, the influence of travel, mysticism and much more! James' new book on Spark: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-muriel-spark-s-early-fiction.html Nonia's recent Edited Collection: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-british-avant-garde-fiction-of-the-1960s.html Nicola's Work: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/our-people/nicola-presley/ The William Golding Website: https://william-golding.co.uk/

In this episode Miles is (virtually) in the Murdoch collection at the Kingston University Archives; and joined by the Head Archivist, Dayna Miller, transcriber Rachel Hirschler, and one of the founders of the archive, Prof. Anne Rowe (Chichester and Kingston). We cover the letters, journals, links between novels and unpublished work, poetry, artwork, and much more. To ask Dayna a question, or to book a visit, simply email: archives@kingston.ac.uk Find the archive here: https://www.kingston.ac.uk/faculties/kingston-school-of-art/research-and-innovation/iris-murdoch/ Back Issues of the Review (for free!) here: https://irismurdochsociety.org.uk/the-review/

In this podcast I'm joined by Prof Peter J. Conradi, Iris Murdoch's official biographer, to celebrate his own memoir, 'Family business', and to reflect on his biography of Iris, 'Iris Murdoch: A Life', twenty years after publication. He tells us about his relationship with Iris, her life, work and relationships, her unpublished novel 'Jerusalem', what he left unsaid until 'Family Business' (the final third of which is dedicated to her) and much more! You can buy 'Family Business' at a discounted price here until the end of February 2020: https://www.serenbooks.com/productdisplay/family-business-memoir using the code 'MURDOCH' at checkout. The article by Leo Robson that Peter refers to can be found here: https://www.newstatesman.com/iris-murdoch-novels-reissued-criticism-biography-100-years

In this lecture Rob Hardy (Emeritus, Henan Normal University, China) explores the consequences of two statements: (1) that Iris Murdoch was a shaman in the sense that Ted Hughes said that Shakespeare and T.S Eliot were, and (2) that Murdoch’s shamanism was deeply linked to the intertextuality of her fiction.

Joining me to discuss Iris Murdoch and feminism are Lucy Bolton, a film scholar from Queen Mary, University of London; Wendy Jones Nakanishi a literary scholar recently retired from Shikoku Gakuin University, Japan; and the artist and scholar Carol Sommer. Lucy's Book on Iris Murdoch and Film-Philosophy: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-contemporary-cinema-and-the-philosophy-of-iris-murdoch.html Carol's Book 'Cartography for Girls': https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7203743-cartography-for-girls-an-a-z-of-orientations-ident

George Steiner commented in Existentialists and Mystics that Iris Murdoch’s writings present ‘[l]uminous shades of Blake’s “holiness of the minute particular”’. This lecture explores some of the ways in which Murdoch engages with this oft-maligned Romantic visionary, whose works are referenced in her fiction, her letters and her philosophy. Blake and Murdoch share a dialectical moral vision that suggests the necessity for revolutionary violence, seeks an acknowledgement of evil, and invites the individual to attend to the world around them. Dr Daniel Read completed his doctoral studies at Kingston University. This lecture was given at the University of Chichester in February, 2018.

Joining Miles on the podcast are Peter J. Conradi FRSL, author of the authorised biography, 'Iris Murdoch: A Life', as well as his own memoir 'Family Business' (2019); the novelist Garth Greenwell, author of 'What Belongs to You' and 'Cleanness' (2020); and the literary critic and former Deputy Director of PEN, Catherine Taylor. Peter's Memoir: https://www.serenbooks.com/productdisplay/family-business-memoir Garth's New Novel: https://www.waterstones.com/book/cleanness/garth-greenwell/9781509874637 Catherine's Latest work in the Times Literary Supplement: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/reduced-to-body-parts/

This recording from 2019 features Miles Leeson and Anne Rowe, both from the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester, discussing Murdoch's novel 'The Unicorn'.

In this episode, Miles is joined by Ian D'Alton (Trinity College, Dublin), Gillian Dooley (Flinders University Australia) and Frances White (IMRC, Chichester) to discuss Iris' Irishness. Areas covered include her biography and links with Irish culture, along with the novels 'The Unicorn', 'The Red and the Green', and her only short story 'Something Special'. Ian's article on her Irishness: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/in-praise-of-iris-murdoch-by-ian-d-alton-1.2235736 Gillian's New work: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030189662 Frances' biography: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Becoming-Iris-Murdoch-Frances-White/dp/1899999604/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=white+iris+murdoch&qid=1602192322&sr=8-2