These never before published writings comprise Iris Murdoch's passionate wartime correspondence with two early intimates: the poet Frank Thompson, brother of the historian E.P. Thompson, who was killed in 1944, and David Hicks, with whom she had a dramatic affair, engagement, and breakup. It also includes the journal that Murdoch kept as a touring actress during August of 1939. The selection sheds new light on a brilliant young mind ("sharp and polished as a sword" as Frances Wilson describes it), while painting a vivid picture of life during the Second World War.
These never before published writings comprise Iris Murdoch's passionate wartime correspondence with two early intimates: the poet Frank Thompson, bro...
Eighty mind-bending problems combine the eccentricity of Lewis Carroll with the genius of Einstein. Loaded with chuckles and challenges, the puzzles promise to test the powers of logic and ingenuity of even the most avid fans of brain teasers. Episodes of deliciously tangled storytelling involve an endearing crew of characters, including mad scientist Cryogenes Rosencrumpett, Professor Didipotamus, Dr. Chronos, Miss Grammatica, and astronomer Seymour Stars. The puzzles feature hints as well as complete solutions, and enchanting surrealistic illustrations provide valuable clues.
Eighty mind-bending problems combine the eccentricity of Lewis Carroll with the genius of Einstein. Loaded with chuckles and challenges, the puzzles p...
A brilliant but deeply flawed man struggles to earn absolution
Hilary Burde was a rising star in academia until a tragic accident plunged him and his mentor and rival, Gunnar Jopling, into two decades of depression and guilt. Hilary, unable to overcome his pain, abandoned his promising career for an unfulfilling job as a civil servant. But at age forty-one, Hilary crosses paths again with Gunnar--initiating a series of events that will change their lives forever. Set against a richly drawn backdrop of post-war London, A Word Child is a gripping story of passion and the...
A brilliant but deeply flawed man struggles to earn absolution
Hilary Burde was a rising star in academia until a tragic accident plunged...
These two major novels--by one of the most influential British writers of the twentieth century--are ferociously dark comedies that combine playfulness with profundity. A Severed Head (1961) is one of Iris Murdoch's most entertaining works, tracing the turbulent emotional journey of Martin Lynch-Gibbon, a smug, prosperous London wine merchant and unfaithful husband, whose life is turned inside out when his wife leaves him for her psychoanalyst. The story takes bedroom farce to a new level of sophistication, with scenes that are both wickedly funny and emblematic of the way...
These two major novels--by one of the most influential British writers of the twentieth century--are ferociously dark comedies that combine playfulnes...
Edmund has escaped from his family into a lonely life. He returns home for his mothers funeral and finds himself involved in the same awful problems he left behind, together with some new ones. He also rediscovers the eternal family servant, the ever-changing "Italian girl".
Edmund has escaped from his family into a lonely life. He returns home for his mothers funeral and finds himself involved in the same awful problems h...
