Lawrence Durrell’s Woven Web of Guesses (Durrell Studies 2)

Book excerpt: This volume presents a number of original essays on aspects of Lawrence Durrell which have not previously been discussed. Durrell (1912-1990) was the ground-breaking author of The Alexandria Quartet, Tunc-Nunquam (The Revolt of Aphrodite) and The Avignon Quintet and of many plays, volumes of poetry and essays. This volume, by one of the world’s foremost experts on Durrell’s life and work, explores his early literary connections with Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Alfred Perlès and David Gascoyne in topics such as surrealism and psychology. It features new insights into Durrell’s approach to popular literature, Greek politics and sexual orientation, and establishes Durrell’s mental states from an examination of his private notebooks. It presents a composite portrait of a writer obsessed with the themes of identity, creativity, sexuality and freedom.