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A Severed Head

A complex exploration of love and emotional turmoil

Iris Murdoch author Miranda Seymour editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:5th Jul '01

Should be back in stock very soon

A Severed Head cover

The narrative follows Martin's tumultuous journey through love and betrayal after his wife leaves him, leading to unexpected passions in A Severed Head.

In A Severed Head, Martin is a man who believes he can juggle both a beautiful wife and a charming lover without consequences. His life takes a dramatic turn when his wife, Antonia, unexpectedly leaves him for her psychoanalyst, which forces Martin into a deep emotional re-education. This upheaval challenges his perceptions of love, fidelity, and self-worth, pushing him to confront the complexities of his desires and relationships.

As Martin navigates his heartache, he strives to adopt a more refined and sensible approach to life and love. However, his journey takes another unexpected twist when he encounters a woman whose striking allure is both repulsive and intoxicating. This new relationship ignites a consuming passion within him, leading to an internal struggle that threatens to unravel his already fragile emotional state.

A Severed Head intricately weaves themes of love, betrayal, and the human psyche, presenting a complicated yet comedic exploration of dangerous love affairs. Martin's quest for understanding and fulfillment raises profound questions about the nature of relationships and the lengths one might go to in pursuit of happiness. Will he be able to reconcile his desires with the reality of his situation, or will he succumb to the chaos of his own making?

This is a comedy with that touch of ferocity about it which makes for excitement -- Elizabeth Jane Howard
Of all the novelists that have made their bow since the war she seems to me to be the most remarkable...behind her books one feels a power of intellect quite exceptional in a novelist * Sunday Times *
Immensely readable...Miss Murdoch is blessedly clever without any of the aridity which, for some reason, that word is supposed to imply -- Philip Toynbee

ISBN: 9780099285366

Dimensions: 196mm x 127mm x 13mm

Weight: 160g

224 pages