Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 -- 8 February 1999 ) was an Irish-born British author and philosopher , best known for her novels about good and evil , sexual relationships , morality , and the power of the unconscious .
Jean Iris Murdoch ( or Iris Murdoch ; 15 July 1919 -- 8 February 1999 ) was an Irish-born British author . Her novels were about good and evil , sexual relationships and the power of the unconscious .