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Under the Net

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Under the Net

By: Iris Murdoch
Narrated by: Samuel West
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Vintage Classics Murdoch: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the 20th century. To celebrate her centenary, Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.

‘This is real life, Jake,’ she said. ‘You’d better wake up.’

Jake is clever, lazy and scraping by in London as a hack translator. Jake loves Anna. Anna is an elusive and lovely singer. Anna loves Hugo. Hugo is a fireworks manufacturer turned movie producer and majestic philosopher. Hugo loves Sadie. Sadie is a glossy and dazzling film starlet. Of course, Sadie loves Jake. Then there's Marvellous Mister Mars, the famous hound, who might or might not be Jake's ticket up and out of this mess.

©1954 Iris Murdoch (P)2011 Penguin Audio Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction
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This is one of my most revered and cherished books, and for many reasons. For one thing, it’s hilarious, and for another, it’s profound. When I saw that Samuel West was the reader, it seemed that an impossible task of literary juggling might be achieved. Perfection, if you ask me. Better than theatre, it is. Thank you, Samuel West.

Astonishingly perfect.

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Murdoch's intelligence and insight into the human heart and mind are on dazzling display here. She manages to combine this with humour and enviable charachterisation, as well as a bit of strangeness and quirky plotting.

Intelligent genre bender

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.