Listen to a sample
The Sea, The Sea
- Author
- Iris Murdoch
- Narrator
- Richard E. Grant
- Publisher
- Random House
- Publish Date
- 2 April 2020
- Run Time
- 23 hours 3 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
VINTAGE CLASSICS MURDOCH: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. To celebrate her centenary Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.
‘I saw a monster rising from the waves.'
Charles Arrowby has determined to spend the rest of his days in hermit-like contemplation. He buys a mysteriously damp house on the coast, far from the heady world of the theatre where he made his name, and there he swims in the sea, eats revolting meals and writes his memoirs. But then he meets his childhood sweetheart Hartley, and memories of her lovely, younger self crowd in – along with more recent lovers and friends – to disrupt his self-imposed exile. So instead of 'learning to be good', Charles proceeds to demonstrate how very bad he can be.
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 1978.
© Iris Murdoch 1978 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
Critics Review
-
It isn't all brainy fantasising in Murdochland; there's wild swimming, appalling sandwiches, death, madness and sex.
Guardian
-
How bloody good her novels are – how intelligent, how lucent, how divinely crazy. They’re fun – I’d forgotten that
Guardian
-
Dazzlingly entertaining and inventive
The Times
-
One of the most ambitious tours de force in many years... There are pages one races through to see what happens. She is a virtuoso at description
Daily Mail
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
There is no doubt in my mind that Iris Murdoch is one of the most important novelists now writing in English...The power of her imaginative vision, her intelligence and her awareness and revelation of human truth are quite remarkable
The Times
-
A fantastic feat of imagination as well as a marvellous sustained piece of writing
Vogue
-
It was the first book I read by this brilliant author, and encouraged me to go on and read almost all her others. It is at times incredibly funny, moving and mysterious. Murdoch creates drama in the real world with flawed humans and yet there is also a spiritual layer that creeps up on you
-
Just like the sea, this novel ebbs and flows, at times fast-paced and full of action, at others reflective… a mesmerising and addictive read
Woman's Weekly
-
The Sea, The Sea is both a novel entirely about the era in which it was written and one that reflects – at an angle – the place and time we are living in… it is a joy to read: a rollicking story that seems endlessly to be building towards some awful, hilarious, frightening conclusion
Harper's Bazaar
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Iris Murdoch
- Narrator
- Richard E. Grant
- Duration
- 23 hours 3 minutes
- Release Date
- 2 April 2020
- ISBN
- 9781473575110
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Random House
- Genre
- Classic fiction: literary and general, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: sense of place
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.VINTAGE CLASSICS MURDOCH: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. To celebrate her centenary Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.‘I saw a monster rising from the waves.'Charles Arrowby has determined to spend the rest of his days in hermit-like contemplation. He buys a mysteriously damp house on the coast, far from the heady world of the theatre where he made his name, and there he swims in the sea, eats revolting meals and writes his memoirs. But then he meets his childhood sweetheart Hartley, and memories of her lovely, younger self crowd in – along with more recent lovers and friends – to disrupt his self-imposed exile. So instead of 'learning to be good', Charles proceeds to demonstrate how very bad he can be.Winner of the Man Booker Prize 1978.© Iris Murdoch 1978 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.