The widower of novelist Dame Iris Murdoch was today at the centre of allegations that he made up love affairs revealed in his recent memoirs.

Prof John Bayley, 75, of Charlbury Road, north Oxford, has denied fabricating two relationships he said he had after his wife's death in 1998.

The former Professor of English, at Oxford University, wrote in his autobiography that he enjoyed comfort and sexual favours from Margot, a family friend, and Mella, a post-graduate student.

The two women also vied for his attention, according to the book.

Although The Sunday Times claimed the author had admitted both women were imaginary, it was today denied by Prof Bayley.

In The Daily Telegraph, which last week serialised the memoirs, he said: "They are quite wrong. I didn't see The Sunday Times and I didn't speak to them.

"The persons concerned are perfectly real, although they are bound to be composite persons to some extent."

He said the element of unreality was necessary to hide the women's true identities.

Both names had been changed and some conspicuous details were altered by The Daily Telegraph to further protect them.

Prof Bayley's wife wrote 27 novels and won the Booker Prize in 1978 for The Sea, The Sea.