{"product_id":"the-bell-9780141186696","title":"The Bell","description":"\u003cb\u003eA motley assortment of characters seek peace and salvation in this early masterpiece by the Booker Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Sea, The Sea \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDame Iris Murdoch\u003c\/b\u003e (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 \u003ci\u003eThe Black Prince\u003c\/i\u003e, the Whitbread Literary Award for Fiction for \u003ci\u003eThe Sacred and Profane Love Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Booker Prize for \u003ci\u003eThe Sea, The Sea\u003c\/i\u003e. 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA. S. Byatt\u003c\/b\u003e, novelist, short-story writer, and critic, is the author of many books, including \u003ci\u003ePossession\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Man Booker Prize.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50620401058066,"sku":"9780141186696","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b42dc2c2-78b1-4453-bff8-df0a597dd274.jpg?v=1732565396","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-bell-9780141186696","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}