A colossal achievement in literary fiction. Review on Magus, The - John Fowles

Set in the backdrop of an exotic mediterranean island, ''The Magus'' is a metaphysical rollercoaster through the maze of the human mind, where the grey area between reality and illusion as perceived by the protagonist is often transgressed, engaging the audience in a profound reading experience. It is not so much a lesson in morality as it is a discourse on human frailty. The narration is rife with symbols, rich in moral conundrums, filled with captivating descriptions and compelling situations.

The story is told in first person by Nicholas Urfe, a young British teacher who, after a brief and tumultuous affair with the attractive and passionate Alison, accepts a teaching position in a picturesque greek island.

His acquaintance with a local millionaire Maurice Conchis, draws him into a bizarre masquerade of psychosexual engagements and unearthly confrontations, orchestrated by the old man himself. The beatific and amorous Lily/Julie, along with her sister June/rose, beguiles him into a web of subterfuge, seduction and deception.

The omnipotent Conchis bridges the gap between the audience and the actors in his metatheatre soon leaving Nicholas fighting for his own sanity. The outcome of the godgame is less significant than the voyage of self-discovery he embarks upon.

The real magus is indeed John Fowles, who mesmerizes the reader with his literary sleight of wordplay and characterizations. Maurice Conchis is the human embodiment of the almighty,if one existed, and this story is when such a power decides arrogantly to play dice with an egotistical young man and break him down to his core. By elevating Conchis to this pedestal, Fowles justifies the supremacy that He wields on his characters.

The brazenly incredible events from Conchis' past and his manipulation of the dynamics between Nicholas and Julie form the framework on which he propounds the ethical and moral dilemmas that haunt mankind.

The Norwegian zealot whose tryst with divinity Conchis witnesses and the atrocities commanded by the German Colonel during the war are situations bound to make every reader question the values and beliefs that each of us stands by and for.

In addition to some of the best descriptions of geographic beauty, the book is filled with lines and passages that reach deep inside. Conchis' recollection of more chaste times when he first fell in love - ''And if you are wise, you will never pity the past for what it did not know, but pity yourself for what it did'', and his memory of the greek insurgent - ''He was the immalleable, the essence, the beyond reason, beyond logic, beyond civilization, beyond history. He was not God because there is no God we can know. But he was a proof that there is a God that we cannot know. He was the final right to deny. To be free to choose'', are just a few that stood out among the numerous displays of lingual mastery.

However, I did feel that certain portions of the book could have been more concise and the end not so drawn out. The significance of Kemp and Jojo in Nicholas' life never dawned on me. Since I read the revised edition in which Nicholas is infact allowed to couple with Julie before the trial, I will never know how it's absence would have altered my reception.

The short movie during the trial was a part of the puzzle which didn't fit quite well with the rest of the structure. The visceral hatred I felt towards Mrs. de Seitas was not only proof that Fowles had achieved the success he had hoped for, it also made me think that his primary intended audience was the young male. Any further discussion of the characters or the philosophy of the plot will only spoil it for the new reader.

The Magus is a rich literary novel as interesting and intriguing as it is touching and thought provoking. A must read for both the novice and the enthusiast.

P.S: If you enjoyed ''The Magus'' you are likely to enjoy the following works too and vice versa. Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse and Six characters in search of an author by Luigi Pirandello.