{"product_id":"the-sea-the-sea-a-severed-head-introduction-by-sarah-churchwell-9781101907665","title":"The Sea, the Sea; A Severed Head: Introduction by Sarah Churchwell","description":"These two major novels--by one of the most influential British writers of the twentieth century--are ferociously dark comedies that combine playfulness with profundity. \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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Everyman's Library\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/05\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781101907665\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 696\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.10w x 1.50d","brand":"Iris Murdoch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42917100880053,"sku":"9781101907665","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_67be6d59-caac-4cdd-89d6-21980087002d.jpg?v=1687277594","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-sea-the-sea-a-severed-head-introduction-by-sarah-churchwell-9781101907665","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}