Lawrence Durrell was one of the best-selling, most celebrated English novelists of the late 20th century. The Alexandria Quartet is unquestionably his most admired work, at heart a sensuous and brilliant evocation of wartime Alexandria. In this world of corrupt glamour, L. G. Darley attempts to reconcile himself to the end of his affair with the dark, passionate Justine Hosnani - setting alight a beguiling exploration of sexual and political intrigue that the author himself described as 'an investigation of modern love'.
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'Durrell was a master at creating and handling tension ... I was fascinated from the start.' -- Wilbur Smith
'One of the most important works of our time.' -- New York Times Book Review
'Intoxicating.' -- Niall Ferguson
'A formidable, glittering achievement.' --Times Literary Supplement
'The writing is nearly always superb, not only in the great passages of poetical description but also in the asides, the casual wit and brilliance of comment.' -- Philip Toynbee, Observer
'There can be no doubt of the magnitude of Durrell's achievement.' --George Steiner --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
Lawrence Durrell was born in 1912 in India. He attended the Jesuit College at Darjeeling and St Edmund's School, Canterbury. His first literary work, The Black Book, appeared in Paris in 1938. His first collection of poems, A Private Country, was published in 1943, followed by the three Island books: Prospero's Cell, Reflections on a Marine Venus, about Rhodes, and Bitter Lemons, his account of life in Cyprus. Durrell's wartime sojourn in Egypt led to his masterpiece, The Alexandria Quartet, which he completed in southern France where he settled permanently in 1957. Between the Quartet and The Avignon Quintet he wrote the two-decker Tunc and Nunquam. His oeuvre includes plays, a book of criticism, translations, travel writing, and humorous stories about the diplomatic corps. Caesar's Vast Ghost, his reflections on the history and culture of Provence, including a late flowering of poems, appeared a few days before his death in Sommières in 1990.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
94 of 95 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is one of the major english novels of the century and it is a shame that it not read and known more widely. It is essentially the story of a group of characters living, loving and interacting in Alexandria in the late 30s and early 40s but, in a challenge to the linear narrative techniques dominant in most novels, the first three parts (originally separate books) tell of the same period of time; only in the final part is the story 'moved on' in the conventional sense. Thus, the complex web of relationships and the motivations of the characters are revealed slowly adding to the dense, rich and beautiful tapestry of the work. The novel makes the reader question the nature of reality, the truth of our perspectives and to appreciate the labrynthine nature of human life itself yet all this is done without preaching and authorial comment damaging the artistic integrity of the work. It is always the story and her characters - that one develops a real attachment to - that remain prior. The language of the novel itself is perhaps its greatest treasure. Durrell from start to finish writes with elegance and strength - with the observations of the poet and the hunger of a man who has lived through such experiences. Alexandria - the city, of course, can also lay claim to be the central figure, her presence captured so uniquely by Durrell haunts almost every page, interacting with the protagonists and providing a real 'sense of place.' It is a sublime work that all lovers of serious literature should read.
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Since I first read it,... the Alexandria Quartet has haunted me. Durrell's style is admittedly dense, but all this means is that you get to spend more time with the book, a true blessing. It's a jigsaw puzzle, stories fitting together in unlikely ways, and each of the four novels on their own would count as brilliant (with the possible exception of Mountolive, which is only 'very good'). But taken together they are mindblowing: each complements and adds to each of the other volumes. Quite amazingly good.
41 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By W. Weinstein
Format:Paperback
The great sweep of Durrell's quartet is almost impossible to describe. His characters and the evocation of wartime Alexandria are so perfect that you can taste the perfume on Justine's neck, hear the call from the mosques and smell the blood of camels butchered in the streets. Here are poets and prostitutes, diplomats and gun runners. There are scenes of lust and love and violence and despair. The characters mutate as the story unfolds and then convolutes upon itself again. We are as confused as the characters themselves and never find ourselves in a position where we understand events before they do. Myriad scenes tumble upon each other; a bird shoot on Lake Mareotis, the masqued ball, the strange death of Pursewarden, the dreadful death of Narouz. Across four volumes Durrell seldom puts a foot wrong and while his florid prose is not to everyone's taste, nobody can deny that this is one of the the under rated classics of the twentieth century. After the grim years of the Second World War and the grey, slow grind of the 1950s, this novel must have burst upon literary Europe like a comet streaking across the sky. It is an essential book for anyone who considers themselves well-read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
My all time favourite book
I was pleased to get this as an e book because I have been attempting to read the book for the past 20 years. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs Y Burgis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well crafted? - yes; engaging? - yes; life changing? - No.
I have read the first book 'Justine'. The style reminded me a little of Somerset Maugham but with less pace. Lawrence Durell has a painterly eye for setting and detail. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Simon W
5.0 out of 5 stars
A work of enduring quality
"The Alexandria Quartet", officially, consists of four separate novels, "Justine", "Balthazar", "Mountolive" and "Clea", first published as such at intervals between 1957 and 1960,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J C E Hitchcock
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tough but worth it
You need to be in the right mood to tackle this book. It's not a one-afternoon-page-turner but serious, quality literature.
Published 3 months ago by catherine hanssen
5.0 out of 5 stars
breathtaking story
Recently on BBC radio there was a program about Lawrence Durrell and his books. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed reading The Alexandria Quartet many years ago. Read more
Published 3 months ago by 666albertastarr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still sparkling after all these years...
Just finished re-reading this multi-faceted, demanding tale which reveals new aspects each time I come back to it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by TimT
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved the books so much I moved to the city............
i have now owned and read many copies of this truly unique and individual set of novels, my kindle version being the latest. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Paul W. Morgan
3.0 out of 5 stars
An ok read
Unfortunately Justine was very disappointing and did not contain much about Alexandria as I was expecting. Read more
Published 8 months ago by H. Bastawy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must be read
great book which takes a lot of time to be read but you miss something when it is already finished.
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Bernard Supplisson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Do we care?
I have found Justine, the first of the Alexandria Quartet, really hard-going. Lawrence Durrell's text feels quite ponderous and his vocabulary perhaps unnecessarily obscure, so it... Read more
Published 8 months ago by SueHS
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