An exhibition displaying items from the Iris Murdoch Collections (Kingston University Archives) to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester

What haunted Iris Murdoch? And how is this expressed in both her fiction, philosophy, and personal writing?

Celebrating Christmas with Iris Murdoch, this lecture looks at her neo-theology before turning to the novels and her depiction of Christmas as both festivity and a sign of hope for the future.

Iris Murdoch is rightly regarded as a religious novelist, of a certain kind. But what about the other side of the relationship: what did Christian readers in England make of her? This lecture examines Christian reactions to Murdoch, as both philosopher and novelist.

The Tenth International Conference on Iris Murdoch will take place at the University of Chichester in 2022. The conference will showcase ongoing, and published, Murdoch scholarship with a particular focus on Place and Space.

Join us as we celebrate the end of a wonderful conference in Chichester. You will enjoy a wonderful three-course meal in the city, and the after-dinner entertainment will be provided by the IMS President Anne Rowe, and our Society Patron, the acclaimed actress Annette Badland.

In this lecture Dr Rob Hardy (Henan Normal University, China) will discuss female agency, power and the gothic in Murdoch's The Unicorn, and will be followed by a Q&A. A treat for the festive season! The lecture is free for Society members, £5 for all others. Zoom link to be sent 24 hours before the lecture.

Join your guides, Professor Anne Rowe and Dr Miles Leeson for a tour of Jake's London!

Miles Leeson will discuss Murdoch's reception by her contemporaries and look at the lighter side of how she was lampooned, both directly and indirectly, in the work of H.E. Bates, Malcolm Bradbury, Brigid Brophy, Barabara Pym and Ian McEwan as well as the reception of her work by Philip Larkin and Monica Jones.

Our annual Christmas lecture will be given this year by Dr Lucy Oulton. Lucy is a Associate at the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester and her first monograph, Iris Murdoch's Wild Imagination: Nature and the Environment was published earlier this year. She is an editor of the Iris Murdoch Review and has lectured intentionally on Murdoch's life and work.