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A Writer at War: Letters and Diaries of Iris Murdoch 1939-45 Hardcover – 21 Jan. 2010

by Peter Conradi (Author), Peter J. Conradi (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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Iris Murdoch: A Writer at War is a fascinating private memoir of one of the great women writers and thinkers of the 20th century and a remarkable historical document of life behind the scenes during the Second World War.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Short Books Ltd
  4. Publication date
    21 Jan. 2010
  5. Dimensions
    16.2 x 2.8 x 23.6 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1906021228
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1906021221
  8. See all details
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Product description

From the Back Cover

Iris Murdoch: A Writer at War is a fascinating private memoir of one of the great women writers and thinkers of the 20th century and a remarkable historical document of life behind the scenes during the Second World War.

About the Author

Peter J Conradi is an author and journalist, known as the official biographer of Iris Murdoch, whose essays and letters he also collected and edited, in separate volumes. He is the author of many books including: A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs (2019), Family Business: A Memoir (2019), and A Very English Hero: The Making of Frank Thompson (2012). He has written or reviewed for the TLS, New Statesman, FT, Spectator, Independent and The Guardian. Conradi has co-edited since 2007 the Transactions of the Radnorshire Society and is a Trustee of the Bleddfa Centre for the Creative Spirit.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Short Books Ltd; First Edition - Later Print Run (21 Jan. 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1906021228
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1906021221
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.2 x 2.8 x 23.6 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
12 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Miss M
5.0 out of 5 stars What a fascinating character Iris Murdoch was if your a ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 February 2015
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What a fascinating character Iris Murdoch was if your a fan buy this book it is a fascinating insight into her early youth before the heady days of her writing her novels.
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Nikki57
5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2018
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As expected
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Peter Gerhard
4.0 out of 5 stars Iris Murdoch - a writer of letters
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2010
In the book" A writer at war", Iris Murdoch gives us glimses of how she started on her journey as a writer. We meet a person who is fascinated of the world around her and we meet a relatively young woman in love, first with the poet Frank Thompson and later with the teacher David Hicks. We also meet a woman forming her life. We, as readers, know what will become of her later in life, but she doesn't. It is very interesting and even fascinating to the read her letters, written so long ago, bur still so passionate and vivid.

Peter Gerhard
4 people found this helpful
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Steven Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2015
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great product, quick delivery, no problems
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S. Settegast
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book, sloppy production
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2014
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This is a wonderful and very moving book, and it gave me a keen sense how the war experience contrasted with and impacted the seemingly innocent, carefree pre-war era not only in Murdoch's life, but also in the lives of her contemporaries, who - one sometimes has the sad impression - were dying left and right. It is also great material for the difference and indeed contrast in the experience of those who went out to fight and those who, like Murdoch, had to stay at home. Her letter-exchange with Frank Thompson is, for me, the particular hightlight of the book.

Unfortunately, I have to subtract two stars: For all its great content, the book is very sloppily produced, with many footnotes which are in the text missing at the bottom or cutting off in mid-sentence, which was particularly frustrating. There are also footnotes referring back to earlier footnotes, but unfortunately the wrong ones, with the right ones sometimes not to be found. Here and there, a proofreader would not have hurt either. I also feel that the paper quality could have been higher and the binding sturdier, as the book sometimes feels as if it had been intended as a paperback.
4 people found this helpful
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Belinda
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2014
An excellent collection of letter and information. Conradi obviously takes a great deal of care in his work. A fascinating insight into a fascinating character.
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Mrs. Christine Pyam
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2010
This book of letters and diary entries gives the reader a great insight into the mind of Iris Murdoch and reveals her talent for writing, her love of the arts (acting in particular) and her early interest in philosophy. A must have for all Iris Murdoch fans and a good book in its own right. The letters reveal things about the characters of the writers and give us a picture of what life was like for those young students at Oxford, and elsewhere, no doubt, on the eve, during and after the war. We read about how other countries dealt with the aftermath of world war. We get a glimpse into what post-war Europe was like and about the treatment of refugees and misplaced persons. One can almost feel the frustration of those trying desperately to make a difference and improve conditions for people traumatized by conflict, loss and devastation; and at the petty rules which governed the actions of those in positions of power. A very good read and a book I would certainly recommend.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Beth Williamson
5.0 out of 5 stars Iris Murdoch is wonderful! Iris Murdoch- a Writer at War
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2011
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After reading her letters written during WWII, I read three of her novels. I really liked "The Sea, the Sea."
She was born in 1919, 20 years before me and lived in interesting times. The novels deal with the complexity of human relationships.
2 people found this helpful
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