Discover books similar to "The Magus"

Donna Tartt

The Secret History

If you enjoyed the psychological intrigue and complex characters in 'The Magus', you'll love 'The Secret History'. This novel follows a group of classics students at a small college who become increasingly obsessed with recreating the rituals of ancient Greek cults. As their actions become more and more extreme, the group begins to unravel, leading to a shocking climax. Tartt's writing is just as rich and atmospheric as Fowles', and she explores similar themes of identity, morality, and the darker side of human nature.

Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose

Fans of 'The Magus' will appreciate the historical setting, intellectual puzzles, and labyrinthine plot of 'The Name of the Rose'. Set in a 14th-century Italian monastery, the novel follows a Franciscan friar and his young apprentice as they investigate a series of mysterious deaths. As they delve deeper into the monastery's secrets, they find themselves caught up in a web of intrigue, politics, and heresy. Eco's writing is erudite and complex, full of references to medieval philosophy, theology, and literature.

William Gaddis

The Recognitions

Like 'The Magus', 'The Recognitions' is a sprawling, ambitious novel that explores the nature of identity, art, and reality. The story follows a young forger named Wyatt Gwyon as he tries to escape his past and make a name for himself in the New York art world. Along the way, he becomes embroiled in a series of bizarre and unsettling events, involving everything from religious cults to organized crime. Gaddis' writing is challenging and often experimental, but his insights into the human condition are profound and unsettling.

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

The Leopard

If you enjoyed the sense of place and historical detail in 'The Magus', you'll appreciate 'The Leopard', set in Sicily during the Risorgimento, the political and social upheaval that led to the unification of Italy. The novel follows a nobleman named Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, as he navigates the changing world around him, trying to preserve his family's status and traditions in the face of revolution. Lampedusa's writing is elegant and evocative, full of vivid descriptions of Sicilian landscapes and society.

Mikhail Bulgakov

The Master and Margarita

Fans of 'The Magus' will appreciate the surreal, otherworldly elements of 'The Master and Margarita', a novel that blends elements of fantasy, satire, and historical fiction. The story is set in Moscow during the Soviet era, and follows a series of interconnected characters, including a mysterious stranger named Woland, who may or may not be the devil, and a writer named Mikhail Berlioz, who becomes embroiled in a series of bizarre and unsettling events. Bulgakov's writing is imaginative and often darkly humorous, with a philosophical undercurrent that will appeal to fans of 'The Magus'.

J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye

While 'The Catcher in the Rye' is a very different kind of novel than 'The Magus', it shares some thematic similarities, particularly in its exploration of identity, alienation, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. The story follows a teenager named Holden Caulfield as he wanders around New York City, grappling with the loss of his innocence and the hypocrisy of adult society. Salinger's writing is direct and unpretentious, with a raw, emotional power that has made the novel a classic of American literature.

Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

If you were intrigued by the themes of identity, morality, and the corrupting influence of beauty in 'The Magus', you'll enjoy 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', a novel that explores these themes in a more straightforward and symbolic way. The story follows a young man named Dorian Gray, who remains forever youthful and beautiful while his portrait ages and decays, reflecting the true state of his soul. Wilde's writing is elegant and witty, full of aphorisms and epigrams that capture the decadent spirit of the age.

Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Fans of 'The Magus' who enjoy surreal, dreamlike narratives will find much to admire in 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle', a novel that explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy, sanity and madness. The story follows a man named Toru Okada as he searches for his missing wife, encountering a series of strange and unsettling characters along the way. Murakami's writing is imaginative and often disorienting, with a haunting, melancholic quality that will appeal to fans of 'The Magus'.

T.S. Eliot

The Waste Land

While 'The Waste Land' is a poem rather than a novel, it shares some thematic and stylistic similarities with 'The Magus', particularly in its exploration of the fragmented, disorienting nature of modern life. The poem is a complex, allusive work that draws on a wide range of literary and cultural references, from the Bible to the Upanishads, from Shakespeare to Wagner. Eliot's writing is dense and challenging, but rewarding for those who are willing to engage with it on its own terms.

Albert Camus

The Stranger

If you were intrigued by the existential themes of 'The Magus', you'll appreciate 'The Stranger', a novel that explores the absurdity of modern life and the search for meaning in an indifferent universe. The story follows a man named Meursault, who drifts through life without purpose or direction, until he commits a senseless act of violence that lands him in jail. Camus' writing is spare and unadorned, with a cool, detached tone that reflects the protagonist's alienation and despair.

Franz Kafka

The Trial

Fans of 'The Magus' who enjoy Kafkaesque narratives of bureaucracy and alienation will find much to admire in 'The Trial', a novel that explores the absurdity of modern life and the search for meaning in an indifferent universe. The story follows a man named Joseph K., who is arrested and prosecuted for a crime that is never specified, and which may not even exist. Kafka's writing is spare and unadorned, with a cool, detached tone that reflects the protagonist's alienation and despair.