The Sea, the Sea

Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor, both professionally and personally, and amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into ...

Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor, both professionally and personally, and amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into a riveting chronicle of the strange events and unexpected visitors-some real, some spectral-that disrupt his world and shake his oversized ego to its very core.

艾丽丝•默多克（Iris Murdoch，1919—1999）是英国二十世纪最著名的小说家之一, 同时也是位货真价实的哲学家，被誉为 “全英国最聪明的女人”。她的哲学思想深受克尔凯郭尔和萨特的存在主义影响，哲学写作又深受西蒙娜•韦伊与柏拉图的影响，其小说创作致力于探讨善与恶、性关系、道德困境与无意识的力量，以其对于个体内心生活的关注和深入探讨，延续了托尔斯泰、陀思妥耶夫斯基、乔治•爱略特与普鲁斯特等小说大师的伟大传统。默多克共六次进入布克奖短名单，为该奖历史上获得提名最多的作家，并以《大海，大海》夺魁。