{"product_id":"the-sea-the-sea-a-severed-head-introduction-by-sarah-churchwell-hardcover","title":"The Sea, the Sea; A Severed Head: Introduction by Sarah Churchwell - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eIris Murdoch\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSarah Churchwell\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese two major novels--by one of the most influential British writers of the twentieth century--are ferociously dark comedies that combine playfulness with profundity. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Severed Head\u003c\/i\u003e (1961) is one of Iris Murdoch's most entertaining works, tracing the turbulent emotional journey of Martin Lynch-Gibbon, a smug, prosperous London wine merchant and unfaithful husband, whose life is turned inside out when his wife leaves him for her psychoanalyst. The story takes bedroom farce to a new level of sophistication, with scenes that are both wickedly funny and emblematic of the way momentous moral issues play out in everyday life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Booker Prize-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Sea, the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e (1978) is set on the edge of England's North Sea, where egotistical Charles Arrowby, a big name in London's glittering theatrical world, has retreated into seclusion to write his memoirs. Arrowby's plans begin to unravel when he encounters his long-lost first love and finds himself increasingly besieged by his own fantasies, delusions, and obsessions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBoth novels are tragicomic masterpieces that brilliantly dramatize how much our lives are governed by the lies we tell ourselves and by the all-consuming need for love, meaning, and redemption. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIntroduction by Sarah Churchwell\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIRIS MURDOCH\u003c\/b\u003e (1919-1999) was born in Dublin and brought up in London. She studied philosophy at Cambridge and was a philosophy Fellow at St Anne's College for twenty years. She published her first novel in 1954 and was instantly recognized as a major talent. She went on to publish more than twenty-six novels, as well as works of philosophy, plays, and poetry. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSARAH CHURCHWELL\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of East Anglia. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCareless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby\u003c\/i\u003e. She writes regularly for \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman, The Guardian, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Times Literary Supplement, \u003c\/i\u003e among other publications.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 696\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 x 8.3 x 5.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 05, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42702064877631,"sku":"9781101907665","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/d000a9c96b67ffea6a8ed35769e82109.webp?v=1765023009","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/the-sea-the-sea-a-severed-head-introduction-by-sarah-churchwell-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}