Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin in 1919 of Anglo-Irish parents. She went to Badminton School, Bristol, and read classics at Somerville College, Oxford. In 1948 she returned to Oxford where she became a fellow of St Anne's college. Awarded the CBE in 1976, Iris Murdoch was made a DBE in the 1987 New Year's Honours List. She died in February 1999.
A rediscovered short story by the late philosopher and Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea, The Sea - the only one Murdoch ever wrote for publication. This poignant tale about the incompatibility of dreams and desires is set against an evocative Dublin backdrop, and concerns a young Irish woman, aching to experience life beyond the respectable young man who courts her. The author's humour and skill is as evident here as in her many longer works. A delightful, small volume. (Kirkus UK)