"The theatre is an attack on mankind carried on by magic: to victimize an audience every night, to make them laugh and cry and suffer and miss their trains. Of course actors regard audiences as enemies, to be deceived, drugged, incarcerated, stupefied."
-- The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch, a novel about an aging playwright/director/actor who retires to the North Sea coast of England.
This book has swept me away. It is long (502 pages in my edition) and dense, but I am content to flow along with the story.
This won the Booker prize in 1978. I am reading it for my Battle of the Prizes, British Version challenge. It will also count as one of my Chunkster Challenge reads.
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.
Oh I like that. I might have to track this one down.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I am adding this to my TBR list. My TT: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/11/teaser-tuesdays-outside-the-ordinary-world.html
ReplyDeleteHere is my teaser from The Trophy Bride’s Tale by Cyrilla Barr (page 1):
ReplyDeleteI have never seen an execution! I am terrified & tremble uncontrollably now as I stand on the fringes of restless crowd desperately hoping that no one will notice me in my shabby pilgrim’s weeds. At that I saw his face break into a warm smile and I knew I had at last reached safer ground.
Stupendous teaser. I've always been curious about this book. With that quote about the theater, now I'm going to have to read it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying this! It is definitely slow and dense, but I loved it... have been meaning to read more of her work ever since. The Bell is in the tbr pile.
ReplyDeleteI so love this book. Interested to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued. I might have to pick this one up sometime.
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