This book is the first to offer a comprehensive treatment of the theme of Iris Murdoch and ‘the East’.  The book discusses multiple aspects of the influence of Eastern religion, philosophy and literature on Murdoch, and its pervasive presence in her novels, poetry, plays and philosophical writings.  It also offers overviews of the reception of Murdoch in certain Eastern countries (Japan, China and Korea), interpretations of Murdoch’s fiction from a post-colonial viewpoint, and various readings of her work in terms of Eastern philosophies, including Hindu, (neo-) Confucian, Buddhist and Sufi perspectives.   

This collection breaks new ground not only in its content but in the fact that there have been no previous book-length works in English on Murdoch which include major contributions by authors from Eastern countries. 

Fiona Tomkinson is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University, Japan.

Rob Hardy is Visiting Professor at Henan University, China and Visiting Research Fellow at Chichester University, UK.