Product Description

Although 'continually and bitterly ashamed' that the Arabs had risen in revolt against the Turks as a result of fraudulent British promises of self-rule, Lawrence led them in a triumphant campaign which revolutionized the art of war. Seven Pillars of Wisdom recreates epic events with extraordinary vividness. In the words of E. M. Forster, 'Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams'. However flawed, Lawrence is one of the twentieth century's most fascinating figures. This is the greatest monument to his character and achievements.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12666 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 704 pages

Customer Reviews

If Nothing Else, Read it for the Style Alone!
What surprised me most about this book is just how superb a writer Lawrence was. One can open the book anywhere and find sentences of extraordinary beauty and accomplishment, entirely evocative of the sometimes overwhelming landscapes and dilemmas Lawrence was living through. This isn't just a chronicle of a military campaign, it is a masterpiece of English Literature. The author bears comparison with Edward Gibbon, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy. Dare I say, all recent Booker Prize winners should read it as further instruction in just how to turn masterly prose!

An explosive piece of prose
Whatever the truth of his account, (see the numerous Lawrence biographies - the more critical the better) this book is brilliantly worded.
An orchestra of prose produced by a sharp English mind. The text is so poised, sharp and simply pulls you into Lawrences analysis of affiars stressing his judgement and also his regal vanity.

One of the most powerful reads of the 20th C. The English is hard to beat - a wonder of prose. If you like that style, try T. E. Lawrence's translation of the Odyssey as well.

I wish I could memorise much of this book - a controlled explosive account.

Great Book
Although this book is set during WW1 era, and has alot to interest readers of military history & leadership, I found personally that the most important parts of this book were philosophical. Lawrence was as much an existantial as Sartre or any other philosopher, infact more so because he went out into the world and lived his search. He never really succeeded, but there are important insights here. One part of this book which I will really remember is when he awakens one moring in the desert, on a moring where - as he puts it - the brain hasn't yet started clouding his perceptions with thought, and he can see the world first hand, as it really is. Truely this is a problem for modern man, we "take things for granted".