Dame Iris Murdoch had requested that there be no funeral or memorial service in her honour, her literary agent has revealed.

Ed Victor, her friend and agent of 15 years, said his office had been inundated with calls from readers wanting to take part in some form of commemoration for the writer but he urged them to re-read one of the novels instead.

Dame Iris died, aged 79, on Monday, at a nursing home in Botley, Oxford, after suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Her husband, Prof John Bayley, who cared for her throughout her illness, was at her bedside.

Alison Samuel, publishing director of Chatto and Windus, said the author's wish to avoid a fuss demonstrated her modesty. She said: "She never sought publicity. She'd come in with her typed scripts quietly with no fanfare."

Ms Samuel said that the writer's death was still likely to boost the sales of her books.

"That's the awful thing about life and death. It takes someone to die for people to recognise their literary worth," she added.

"Iris Murdoch has always been recognised as one of the great writers this century but people forget from time to time."

Dame Iris's biographer, Peter Conradi, said the writer destroyed five of her early novels shortly before her death. He said of the 30-year-old manuscripts: "They showed a strong intellectual grip but she thought them juvenile."

Dame Iris, who lectured in philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford, was regarded as one of the finest minds of her generation. She won many accolades including the 1978 Booker Prize for her novel The Sea, The Sea.

Story date: Wednesday 10 February

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