🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch is an Irish and British published author. She also went by Dame Jean Iris Murdoch. She was a novelist, philosopher, and lecturer. Murdoch was born July 15, 1919 in Dublin, Ireland. She was the daughter to Irene Alice and Wills John Hughes Murdoch. Her father came from a family that farmed sheep and worked as a civil servant. He would enlist in 1915 as a soldier, serving in the first World War in France. He would eventually become a second lieutenant. Her mother was from a family in Dublin that was solidly middle class and was a trained singer. Her parents were married in 1918 after meeting in Dublin. She was their only child. When she was very young they decided to move to London. Her father worked as a clerk for the Ministry of Health.
All Book Series by Iris Murdoch
Poems from an Attic: Selected Poems, 1936-95
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2025
Iris Murdoch, A Writer at War: Letters and Diaries, 1939-1945
Book 7 of 8 · published 2002
Living on Paper: Letters from Iris Murdoch, 1934–1995
Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2015
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Iris Murdoch?
Iris Murdoch is an Irish and British published author. She also went by Dame Jean Iris Murdoch. She was a novelist, philosopher, and lecturer.
Which Iris Murdoch series should I start with?
Iris Murdoch's books stand alone rather than forming a numbered series, so there is no reading order to follow. The natural first pick is Under the Net (1954).
How many books has Iris Murdoch written?
Iris Murdoch has 45 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1953 and 2025. They are filed under 6 categories rather than in numbered series — chiefly Standalone Novels, Non-Fiction and Plays.
In what order should Iris Murdoch's series be read?
No reading order is needed: none of the 45 books catalogued here do not form a numbered series, so any title can be picked up first. Within each category they are listed by publication year.
How are Iris Murdoch's books organised into series?
This guide splits Iris Murdoch's 45 books into categories rather than numbered series: Standalone Novels (27 books); Non-Fiction (8 books); Plays (5 books); Collections (2 books); Anthologies (2 books), plus 1 more.