The Sea, The Sea, Paperback Book, By: Iris Murdoch

Iris murdoch's extraordinary exploration of human nature shines with intricate detail. With an introduction by john burnside When charles arrowby retires from his glittering career in the london theatre, he buys a remote house on the rocks by the sea. He hopes to escape from his tumultuous love affairs but unexpectedly bumps into his childhood sweetheart and sets his heart on destroying her marriage. His equilibrium is further disturbed when his friends all decide to come and keep him company and charles finds his seaside idyll severely threatened by his obsessions. About Iris Murdoch Iris murdoch was born in dublin in 1919. She read classics at somerville college, oxford, and after working in the treasury and abroad, was awarded a research studentship in philosophy at newnham college, cambridge. In 1948 she returned to oxford as fellow and tutor at st anne's college and later taught at the royal college of art. Until her death in 1999, she lived in oxford with her husband, the academic and critic, john bayley. She was made a dame of the british empire in 1987 and in the 1997 pen awards received the gold pen for distinguished service to literature. Iris murdoch made her writing debut in 1954 with under the net. Her twenty-six novels include the booker prize-winning the sea, the sea (1978), the james tait black memorial prize-winning the black prince (1973) and the whitbread prize-winning the sacred and profane love machine (1974). Her philosophy includes sartre: romantic rationalist (1953) and metaphysics as a guide to morals (1992); other philosophical writings, including 'the sovereignty of good' (1970), are collected in existentialists and mystics (1997). John burnside is amongst the most acclaimed writers of his generation. His novels, short stories, poetry and memoirs have won numerous awards, including the geoffrey faber memorial prize, the whitbread poetry award, the encore award and the saltire scottish book of the year. In 2011, black cat bone won both the forward and the t.S. Eliot prizes for poetry. A judge for the booker prize in 2015, he is a professor in the school of english at saint andrews university.