SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Something Special

Iris Murdoch Michael McCurdy

$32.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Vintage
05 October 2001
'A delight for Murdoch enthusiasts' Guardian

Something Special was previously unpublished except in a 1950s anthology and in Japan, and rediscovered after her death. It is the only short story that Iris Murdoch ever wrote for publication.

Set in Dublin, against the vividly recognisable backdrop of the writer's native city in the late fifties, Something Special is the story of Yvonne, an ordinary, bold young Irish woman who believes there's more to life than marriage to Sam, the respectable young man who's courting her. Written with verve and characteristic sly humour, it moves to a surprising climax and conclusion - a poignant, strangely haunting story about the incompatibility of dreams and desires.
By:  
Illustrated by:   Michael McCurdy
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 4mm
Weight:   54g
ISBN:   9780099422655
ISBN 10:   0099422654
Pages:   80
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

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.

Reviews for Something Special

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)


See Also