Living On Paper

A selection of Iris Murdoch’s most interesting and important letters has been collected together to give us a full, living portrait of one of the 20th century’s greatest writers and thinkers. The letters show a great mind at work – we see the young Murdoch struggling with difficult philosophical issues, often unsure of herself intellectually; we witness her anguish as a mature writer when a novel won’t come together; we see her reflecting on the intricacies of human relationships; we see her fulminating about world events and exploring spirituality. They also reveal her personal life, the subject of much speculation, in all its complexity: her sharp sense of humour, her irreverence, her emotional hunger and her tendency to live on the edge of what was socially acceptable.