The Magus

book by Fowles

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Last updated

July 16, 2026

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The Magus is a 1965 novel by English author John Fowles. The book is set on a Greek island and follows Nicholas Urfe, an English schoolteacher who becomes entangled with a mysterious and wealthy local man named Maurice Conchis.1

The narrative centers on Urfe's struggle to distinguish between reality and illusion as Conchis orchestrates elaborate psychological games and deceptions. The novel explores themes of love, sex, social issues, and philosophical ideas, characteristic of Fowles's work. A revised edition was published in 1977.1

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John Fowles
He returned to fiction with The Magus (1965, rev. ed. 1977; filmed 1968). Set on a Greek island, the book centres on an English schoolteacher who struggles to discern between fantasy and reality after befriending a mysterious local man. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969; filmed 1981), arguably Fowles’s best-known work,…
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He returned to fiction with The Magus (1965, rev. ed. 1977; filmed 1968). Set on a Greek island, the book centres on an English schoolteacher who struggles to discern between fantasy and reality after befriending a mysterious local man. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969; filmed 1981), arguably Fowles’s best-known work,…
Read More