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The Bell
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The Bell Paperback - 2001

by Iris Murdoch; Introduction by A. S. Byatt


Summary

A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an order of sequestered nuns. A new bell is being installed when suddenly the old bell, a legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. And then things begin to change. Meanwhile the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved, whatever that may mean. Originally published in 1958, this funny, sad, and moving novel is about religion, sex, and the fight between good and evil.

From the publisher

A motley assortment of characters seek peace and salvation in this early masterpiece by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea, The Sea A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an order of sequestered nuns. A new bell is being installed when suddenly the old bell, a legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. And then things begin to change. Meanwhile the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved, whatever that may mean. Originally published in 1958, this funny, sad, and moving novel is about religion, sex, and the fight between good and evil. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Details

  • Title The Bell
  • Author Iris Murdoch; Introduction by A. S. Byatt
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, New York
  • Date 2001-12-01
  • ISBN 9780141186696 / 0141186690
  • Weight 0.56 lbs (0.25 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 in (19.30 x 12.95 x 2.03 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Reading level 1000
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Gay men, Psychological fiction
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001036040
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Dame Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) was one of the most acclaimed British writers of the twentieth century. Very prolific, she wrote twenty-six novels, four books of philosophy, five plays, a volume of poetry, a libretto, and numerous essays before developing Alzheimer's disease in the mid-1990s. Her novels have won many prizes: the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Black Prince, the Whitbread Literary Award for Fiction for The Sacred and Profane Love Machine, and the Booker Prize for The Sea, The Sea. She herself was also the recipient of many esteemed awards: Dame of the Order of the British Empire, the Royal Society of Literature's Companion of Literature award, and the National Arts Club's (New York) Medal of Honor for Literature. In 2008, she was named one of the Times' (London) 50 greatest British writers since 1945. A. S. Byatt, novelist, short-story writer, and critic, is the author of many books, including Possession, winner of the Man Booker Prize.

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The Bell (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
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The Bell (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by Murdoch, Iris

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The Bell (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by Murdoch, Iris; Byatt, A. S. [Introduction]

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