A severed head vs The Sheltering Sky

A severed head

Iris Murdoch

1961

In Iris Murdoch's "A Severed Head," a wealthy London academic's comfortable, if complacent, life unravels when his wife leaves him for a manipulative art dealer. As he navigates a series of increasingly bizarre and ethically questionable relationships with his former lover, his brother, and his ex-wife's new partner, he confronts the deceptive nature of love, desire, and identity. The novel explores the complexities of human connection and the search for truth within a world of intellectual pretense and emotional turmoil.

The Sheltering Sky

Paul Bowles

1948

The story centers on Port Moresby and his wife Kit, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the North African desert accompanied by their friend Tunner. The journey, initially an attempt by Port and Kit to resolve their marital difficulties, is quickly fraught by the travelers' ignorance of the dangers that surround them.