Elegy for Iris: Amazon.de: John Bayley: Englische Bücher

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In one of literary history's ghastlier ironies, Iris Murdoch, the author of such highly intellectual and philosophical novels as A Severed Head and Under the Net, was diagnosed in 1994 with Alzheimer's disease, which slowly destroys reasoning powers, memory, even the ability to speak coherently. Her husband, English literary critic John Bayley, unsparingly depicts his wife's affliction in prose as elegant and accessible as hers always was. Readers may wince at the spectacle of Murdoch glued to the TV watching the Teletubbies program, unable to perform tasks as simple as dressing herself and prey to devastating anxiety as the world becomes less and less comprehensible to her. We understand Bayley's occasional fits of rage when his caretaking chores overwhelm him. Yet in the end his memoir is touching, even inspiring. As he recalls their first meetings and marriage in the 1950s, it becomes clear that theirs was always an unconventional union, in which solitude was as important to each of them as togetherness and Bayley was content to let Murdoch keep her inner life to herself. He loves Iris, the woman, not the intellect, and he conveys an essential sweetness about his wife that endures even as her mental faculties deteriorate. This totally unsentimental account of their life and her illness is nonetheless a heartbreaker. --Wendy Smith -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verf�gbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

From Kirkus Reviews

A sweet if somewhat old-fashioned memoir about a literary marriage. Bayley, author of the novel The Red Hat and a noted critic, met novelist and philosopher Dame Iris Murdoch (Jackson's Dilemma, 1996, etc.) while he was teaching at Oxford's St. Anthony's College and instantly came under her sway. Though Murdoch was less quick to return his affection, she too fell in love after a delightfully disastrous date in which a well-advertised restaurant served them ``nasty'' food and Murdoch herself fell down some stairs on her way to the dance floor; these mishaps unearthed the couple's deepest connection: a fine sense of humor, indeed, their joy in private jokes and laughs. In her time, Murdoch was a woman of unconventional intelligence and independenceshe had a long string of lovers, did not want children, had an almost slovenly disregard for her appearance, and was in no hurry to get married, though she never seems to have doubted that Bayley should be the groom. Using flashbacks, Bayley lightens his accounts of Murdoch's present disappearance into Alzheimer's disease with happier memories of their long, comfortable life together, a life filled with trips, summer swims, and pleasure in books. Bayley clearly adores and admires his celebrated wife, and his care of her illness is a model of devotion. This unalloyed affection is refreshingly sweet, but too often his descriptions of Murdoch edge over into the saccharinefor him she is ``Christ-like''and the result is an unusual lack of insight into her abilities. Would the woman who never took any interest in children really have ``looked after [her own child] better and more conscientiously than most mothers, and no doubt would have brought it up better, too''? Nonetheless, this seems an appropriate error for a loving husband to make, and the book's intimate tone will surely please both his fans and hers. (6 b&w photos, not seen) (First serial to the New Yorker) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verf�gbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

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A Little Gem 27. Juni 2000

Von Elizabeth Hendry

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This book is heartbreakingly beautiful. Bayley loved his wife, Iris Murdoch, so deeply, and on so many levels and that love comes across beautifully in this book. Bayley brings us into the intimate private world that he and Murdoch shared. As a longtime fan of Iris Murdoch, I am thankful for the insight into her life and her work. This book is very personal, so much so that I don't think it can be read in one sitting, but rather should be savoured slowly and deliberately. I remember the sadness I felt hearing that she had Altzheimer's and then hearing that she died. This book brings back that sadness, but it comes back stronger because it also brings John Bayley's sadness. That is not to say that this book is a "downer" on any level. Quite the contrary. John Bayley has constructed a beautiful book focused mainly on his love for his wife, and how the love between them grew, from his first sighting of her riding a bicycle to the time when he wrote this book, as she was suffering from the ravages of the disease.

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Haunting, but uplifting 22. Juli 2000

Von Bluestalking Reader

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John Bayley and Iris Murdoch had a rare relationship, the kind most of us dream of having. Two writers, working side by side, living their lives to the fullest, John Bayley and Iris Murdoch weren't so much a marriage as a team. Their support for each other's craft is laudable, and Bayley's reaction to losing his wife while she was still alive is heartbreaking and at times oddly humourous. You feel what Bayley must have felt, looking at the shell of the woman he'd spent most of his life with and hoping there was still some of her inside somewhere, and you laugh and cry right along with him. This book is a loving tribute to one of the greatest modern novelists and philosophers who ever lived, and I felt greatly enriched after reading this book. It has stayed with me ever since.

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Love Lessons 5. Juni 2000

Von "dominico"

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Hey Oprah! This isn't one to miss. Bayley's love letter memoir of his life with Iris Murdoch is Pulitzer quality...if for no other reason than the insight it provides for maintaining peace in marriage. Brilliant writing and honest humility aside, his knack for teaching everyone, newlywed and old-timer alike, that a happy home is possible for even the most unlikely of mates is praiseworthy. My own marriage of 49 years will certainly be the chief beneficiary of my discovery of John Bayley.

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