T. E. Lawrence (Magill Book Reviews)

At a glance:

The numerous biographies of Lawrence of Arabia have shown how he quickly evolved from archaeology student to hero, helping the Arabs defeat the Turks during World War I, arguing for Arab sovereignty following the war, and writing THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM about his adventures. As his letters reveal, Lawrence felt a prisoner of his public image and even disparaged his masterpiece. His longing for anonymity led him to enlist, under an assumed name, in the RAF as an ordinary airman.

Malcolm Brown, who has made two BBC documentaries about Lawrence and co-wrote a biography of him with Julia Cave, has had more sources to draw upon than earlier editions of Lawrence’s letters, some of which also censored their contents. The correspondents of the letters written between 1905, when Lawrence was seventeen, and his death in 1935 include relatives, school and military friends, politicians such as Winston Churchill, and numerous literary figures like George Bernard Shaw. Lawrence’s most frequent correspondent during his last decade was Charlotte Shaw, the playwright’s wife, who acted almost as his confessor.

Lawrence’s letters depict a complex, contradictory person. He professes to hate the bloodshed of war but describes blowing up railways with boyish glee. He abhors publicity yet writes a book about his exploits. Clearly an excellent stylist, he chooses to believe he cannot be an artist. He looks forward to retiring from the RAF and living alone in his cottage yet says he would be totally lost without the service. His letters show that Lawrence lived a more intense life (or lives) than most but an infinitely sad one.

Sources for Further Study

Business Week. May 29, 1989, p. 15.

Listener. CXX, December 1, 1988, p. 36.

The New Republic. CCI, August 21, 1989, p. 35.

The New York Times Book Review. XCIV, July 16, 1989, p. 19.

Publishers Weekly. CCXXXV, March 31, 1989, p. 47.

The Spectator. CCLXI, December 17, 1988, p. 33.

Time. CXXXIII, May 15, 1989, p. 80.

The Washington Post Book World. XIX, May 21, 1989, p. 5.