T he Magus was the first novel Fowles wrote, although not the first he published. He wrote and rewrote it for a dozen years before its publication in 1965. Still not happy with it, despite its commercial and critical success, he reworked it again and the revised version was published in 1977. Fowles's obsession with The Magus and his fascination with it have given it what he calls "favored child" status. He still marvels from time to time that he could write it. It is an important work for its autobiographical connections, its portrayal of the protagonist trapped in a meaningless world who must learn to choose life and love, and its use of myth and mystery to define what is lacking in the protagonist's life. The Greek island setting is important as the "other world" in which the journey takes place, and it is...