IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 2108 KUAS99
Held at: Kingston University
Title: Murdoch, Iris (1919-1999): Letters from Iris Murdoch to Mary McIntosh
Date(s): 1955-1958
Level of description: Collection (fonds)
Extent: 1 file
Name of creator(s): Murdoch | Dame | Jean Iris | 1919-1999 | author
McIntosh | 1936-2013 | sociologist
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin, Ireland on 15 Jul 1919. When she was very young Iris and her parents moved to London, England, and Iris studied at Frobel and Badminton Schools. She followed this with studies in classics, ancient history and philosophy at Oxford, and further study at Cambridge. During the war years Iris worked for the Treasury in London, and then joined the UNRRA providing relief in formerly occupied countries in Europe. In 1948 she became a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, where she taught and researched philosophy. Iris Murdoch wrote a number of tracts on philosophy, however it is for her novels that she is best known. She wrote 26 novels in total, her first being 'Under the Net' published in 1954. Other notable works include 'The Bell' and 'The Sea, the Sea', for which she won the Booker Prize. Her last novel, 'Jackson's Dilemma', was published in 1995.
In her youth Iris Murdoch had relationships with a number of individuals, including Elias Canetti. She met author and scholar John Bayley while at Oxford, and they married in 1956. She wrote to a great number of people and maintained friendships in this way. Later in life Iris Murdoch was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, the first effects of which she had attributed to writer's block. She died in 1999.
Mary McIntosh was a renowned sociologist, particularly for her work on gender and sexuality.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Letters from Iris Murdoch to Mary McIntosh, who was a student of Murdoch's at St Anne's College, Oxford. McIntosh went on to be a renowned sociologist. These letters are from the period 1955-1958, when McIntosh was a student and represent her student/ teacher relationship with Iris Murdoch.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Original order
Conditions governing access:
Letter are available to be viewed by appointment in our Archives and Special Collections. Please make an appointment at least 24 hours in advance by emailing archives@kingston.ac.uk
Conditions governing reproduction:
Letters are not able to be copied at this time.
Finding aids:
Full cataloguing has yet to take place, when it does catalogue records will be available on our online catalogue at http://adlib.kingston.ac.uk
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
Letters were presented to the Archive by Mary McIntosh.
ALLIED MATERIALS
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Date(s) of descriptions: 29 Jun 2015