Peter J. Conradi

I was very disappointed by this biography of one of my all-time favourite authors, Iris Murdoch.

At over 700 pages, written and published shortly after she died, one wonders whether the urge to quickly bring out a biography won from careful research.

In my opinion, the biographer writes too much about other people who were important in Murdoch's life, and too little about Iris Murdoch and her novels.

It is to be hoped that another biographer will attempt to write a more comprehensive biography of Iris Murdoch, with more attention for her life, her ideas and philosophy, and her novels, both how they came to be written and a descroption of all her works.

Really disappointing.… (meer)

I am going to do this review a little different to my usual ones. Instead of saying what I think about the style of writing I am going to look more at the content. The main reason for this is that its non-fiction and although I have read about Buddhism extensively I am no expert. I should also add that this is the second time I have read this, I'm not sure why I decided to pick it off the bookcase, it just jumped out at me.

I will start off by saying that I really dislike the fact that in the synopsis this is labelled as a self-help book. I have nothing against self-help books, I have read a few and they all have raised some good point with me. However, as far as my experience goes, slef help books are set out in a way that it tell you what steps to take. I always think these are set up like manuals for life because at the end of the day thats what they aim to be.

This book however is more about Conradi's thoughts on how Buddhism applies to western life along with some history of the Shambhala lineage. It also contains information about how to meditate and certain aspects of Buddhist life but at no point did I find it at all preachy. I also find the mention in the synopsis that he embarks on a 'new life journey' a bit misleading with regards the content. There is no denying that his decision and luck in deciding to enquire has had a huge effect on his life. However, it does not contain 'I was rich and unhappy, I found Buddha and now everything amazing' which is what I think it is pointing towards.

I really liked the book, it lays some facts down that are often mis-understood with regards to Buddhism and also explores some of the difference in the sects. This isn't a theoretical exercise but just covers a few main differences between the differing regions without imposing what is the correct approach.

Also mixed in along the way are stories about Iris Murdoch, an author and Buddhism who became his mentor along the way. The tales he tell about her and their discussions remind me a lot of the stories about Buddhist masters and their students even though she wasn't a 'master'. The relationship is an interesting one, there is obvious mutual respect but its clear that her speech is carefully measured and she challenges him along the way. In a lot of respects he does the same to her, sometime on purpose, other times by complete accident.

The only reason I haven't given the book 5/5 is that at times Conradi's approach is a bit wordy. I don't think that this is intentional, I just think that he has a better education and grasp of the psychology of the mind. At no point is it over the top and I would say 99% of it I understood without having to consult a dictionary to confirm the meaing of certain words. I would recommend this book as the 2nd to read for anyone interested in looking at a western approach to Buddhism. The 1st I would recommend is Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor which is a fantastic introdution and a book I have read many times.… (meer)

17 Mar 2010

A collection of three different works: IM's diary of a roaming theatre production just before the outbreak of WWII, her letters to Frank Thompson and those to David Hicks, during the war.

The diary is very sweet - it's earnest and young but retains our interest and has a value that not all juvenalia have. For an IM fan, it's lovely to see her relatively unencumbered, enjoying singing and acting and stretching herself, and also being very funny and a good or not so good friend.

Both sets of letters can make uncomfortable reading at times. While she doesn't, in my opinion, look foolish, IM does lay her emotions bare in what were, presumably, private letters not intended for publication. Especially in those to David Hicks, she is reduced to begging him to write and sending honest thoughts which she then slightly regrets. But who among us, especially when young, hasn't said things to a lover one would rather not have said, or embarassed ourselves a little. The last letter in the Hicks sequence is quite painfully controlled and mature, and made me feel sad on reading it, even though I knew the story of their relationship from other reading. But still, in both sets of letters you get a developing writer, thrilled to come across Simone de Beauvoir and to meet Satre, trying to learn to ski, failing at being a good administrator. And, while I vigorously subscribed to the Death of the Author theory at University, to avoid having to do much secondary reading, I did enjoy seeing the roots of her civil servants and complex love affairs with which we become so familiar when reading her novels.

A minor point, but one which did affect my reading of the book: the footnotes. Some of the actual notes seemed a little strained. Who needs the word "somnambulist" explaning? And there were some [sic]s in the text which seemed a little inconsistent, pointing out some errors and not others. Worse, was the actual proof-reading of the footnotes. On several occasions, footnotes which should have run onto the next page broke off, with the rest of the note nowhere to be found. Particularly irritatingly, this happens to the note at the end of the Frank letters - the letter itself breaks off, as we know, and then the footnote reads: "Final page missing: how Frank signed off his last letter we will probably never"! And notes appear on the page next to the one on which the footnoted text appears, which I've never seen before. In fact, on the final page of the book, instructions for contacting the publisher end: "Please quote ref. 'Short Books", i.e. missing the final quotation mark! I know it's niggly, but this did spoil my reading of the text somewhat, as it disturbed the flow.

Apart from this, an interesting read and a valid addition to my Murdoch collection.… (meer)