Colección GB 2108 KUAS9 - Murdoch, Iris (1919-1999): Letters to Sugana Ramanathan

Área de identidad

Código de referencia

GB 2108 KUAS9

Título

Murdoch, Iris (1919-1999): Letters to Sugana Ramanathan

Fecha(s)

  • c1981-c1995 (Creación)

Nivel de descripción

Colección

Volumen y soporte

1 folder

Área de contexto

Nombre del productor

Historia biográfica

Dame Jean Iris Murdoch was born on 15 July 1919 in Dublin; later moving with her family to Brook Green, Hammersmith. Murdoch was educated at Froebel Demonstration School at Colet Gardens; Badminton School, Bristol from 1932 and Somerville College Oxford; winning scholarships to both Badminton and Somerville College.

At Oxford, Murdoch was influenced by the classicist, Eduard Fraenkel, and her philosophy tutor Donald MacKinnon and soon joined the Communist Party. Murdoch gained a first in Classics in 1942 and was employed as assistant principal in the Treasury, 1942-1944; later joining the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, working in London, Brussels and Austria. Murdoch returned to London in 1946 winning a place at Vassar College and a Commonwealth Scholarship, however as she had declared herself a communist on her application for an American visa her application was denied. Murdoch studied at Newnham College, Cambridge, 1947-1948 and won a philosophy tutorship at St Anne's, Oxford, where she stayed until 1963, she later worked as a lecturer at Royal College of Art for four years.

Murdoch's first book Sartre: Romantic Rationalist was published in 1953 by Bowes and Bowes in a series titled 'Studies in Modern Thought' and her first novel Under the net was accepted for publication. She went on to write many books including The Bell, 1958, which achieved great commercial success and The Red and the Green, 1965, concerning the Easter rising, reflecting her Irish background. Murdoch was appointed DBE in 1987 and presented with an honorary degree from Kingston University in 1993. In 1997 Murdoch was diagnosed as suffering with Alzheimer's disease and died in Oxford on 8 February 1999.

Publications include: Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Literature and Philosophy, 1997; A Fairly Honourable Defeat, 1970 and Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, 1992.

Sugana Ramanathan, an academic employed by St Xaviers College, Ahmedabad, India [1998], wrote about Iris in Figures of Good (Macmillan, London, 1990) and met her 1987 at Murdoch's house. Ramanathan corresponded with Murdoch regularly during 1980s-1990s.

Institución archivística

Historia archivística

GB 2108 KUAS9 c1981-c1995 collection 1 folder Murdoch , Dame , Jean Iris , 1919-1999 , author x Murdoch , Iris

Dame Jean Iris Murdoch was born on 15 July 1919 in Dublin; later moving with her family to Brook Green, Hammersmith. Murdoch was educated at Froebel Demonstration School at Colet Gardens; Badminton School, Bristol from 1932 and Somerville College Oxford; winning scholarships to both Badminton and Somerville College.

At Oxford, Murdoch was influenced by the classicist, Eduard Fraenkel, and her philosophy tutor Donald MacKinnon and soon joined the Communist Party. Murdoch gained a first in Classics in 1942 and was employed as assistant principal in the Treasury, 1942-1944; later joining the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, working in London, Brussels and Austria. Murdoch returned to London in 1946 winning a place at Vassar College and a Commonwealth Scholarship, however as she had declared herself a communist on her application for an American visa her application was denied. Murdoch studied at Newnham College, Cambridge, 1947-1948 and won a philosophy tutorship at St Anne's, Oxford, where she stayed until 1963, she later worked as a lecturer at Royal College of Art for four years.

Murdoch's first book Sartre: Romantic Rationalist was published in 1953 by Bowes and Bowes in a series titled 'Studies in Modern Thought' and her first novel Under the net was accepted for publication. She went on to write many books including The Bell, 1958, which achieved great commercial success and The Red and the Green, 1965, concerning the Easter rising, reflecting her Irish background. Murdoch was appointed DBE in 1987 and presented with an honorary degree from Kingston University in 1993. In 1997 Murdoch was diagnosed as suffering with Alzheimer's disease and died in Oxford on 8 February 1999.

Publications include: Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Literature and Philosophy, 1997; A Fairly Honourable Defeat, 1970 and Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, 1992.

Sugana Ramanathan, an academic employed by St Xaviers College, Ahmedabad, India [1998], wrote about Iris in Figures of Good (Macmillan, London, 1990) and met her 1987 at Murdoch's house. Ramanathan corresponded with Murdoch regularly during 1980s-1990s.

Acquired in 2004.

Papers of Iris Murdoch, c 1981-c 1995, comprising letters to Sugana Ramanathan, responding initially to Ramanathan's letter expressing interest in Murdoch's books, which later developed into a literary friendship. The letters discuss Jesuits and a Jesuit College (presumably in India) and Murdoch's interest in this, as she has had 'many highly intelligent Jesuit pupils'; describe their first meeting, and reflect on Murdoch's works including the Gifford lectures.

Arranged in original order.

Open. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment.

Contact archive for information concerning reproduction at archives@kingston.ac.uk.

English

Catalogued, not currently available online.

Peter Conradi Research Collection: KUAS6/3/124, KUAS37, KUAS35, KUAS12, KUAS50, KUAS8, KUAS11, KUAS28, KUAS7, KUAS10, KUAS39.

Sources: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online and Peter Conradi Research Collection: KUAS6/3/124.
Entry compiled by Samantha Velumyl, AIM25 cataloguer.

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

May 2008. Communications media Books Literature Murdoch , Dame , Jean Iris , 1919-1999 , author x Murdoch , Iris Philosophy Publications Ramanathan , Sugana , fl 1981 Religious communities Religious institutions Society of Jesus Information sciences

Origen del ingreso o transferencia

Acquired in 2004.

Área de contenido y estructura

Alcance y contenido

Papers of Iris Murdoch, c 1981-c 1995, comprising letters to Sugana Ramanathan, responding initially to Ramanathan's letter expressing interest in Murdoch's books, which later developed into a literary friendship. The letters discuss Jesuits and a Jesuit College (presumably in India) and Murdoch's interest in this, as she has had 'many highly intelligent Jesuit pupils'; describe their first meeting, and reflect on Murdoch's works including the Gifford lectures.

Valorización, destrucción y programación

Acumulaciones

Sistema de arreglo

Arranged in original order.

Área de condiciones de acceso y uso

Condiciones de acceso

Open. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment.

Condiciones

Contact archive for information concerning reproduction at archives@kingston.ac.uk.

Idioma del material

  • inglés

Escritura del material

  • latín

Notas sobre las lenguas y escrituras

English

Características físicas y requisitos técnicos

Peter Conradi Research Collection: KUAS6/3/124, KUAS37, KUAS35, KUAS12, KUAS50, KUAS8, KUAS11, KUAS28, KUAS7, KUAS10, KUAS39.

Instrumentos de descripción

Catalogued, not currently available online.

Área de materiales relacionados

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Área de notas

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Puntos de acceso

Puntos de acceso por lugar

Puntos de acceso por autoridad

Tipo de puntos de acceso

Área de control de la descripción

Identificador de la descripción

Identificador de la institución

Kingston University

Reglas y/o convenciones usadas

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Estado de elaboración

Nivel de detalle

Fechas de creación revisión eliminación

Idioma(s)

  • inglés

Escritura(s)

    Fuentes

    Área de Ingreso