Dame Jean Iris Murdoch was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher whose work examined complex themes of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her debut novel, Under the Net, published in 1954, was later recognized as one of the most significant English-language novels of the twentieth century when it was selected by Modern Library in 1998 as one of their 100 best. Murdoch's literary career spanned decades and earned her widespread recognition. In 1978, her novel The Sea, The Sea won the prestigious Booker Prize, cementing her status as a major figure in contemporary fiction. Her contributions to literature were formally acknowledged in 1987 when Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame. By the early twenty-first century, her influence remained substantial; The Times ranked her twelfth on its list of the fifty greatest British writers since 1945.