Product Description

With its politics, passions, corruption and vice, this quartet of novels is set in war-time Alexandria. The experimental form presents the narrative from different view points, allowing the story to unfold gradually.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #324255 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 884 pages

Customer Reviews

An evocative, challenging and poetical masterpiece!
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.

Most brilliant work of post-war British fiction
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.

The most European English writer since the war...
During the decade of Lucky Jim and the angry yet desperately serious young men, Lawrence Durrell became the toast of the town with this wonderful series of novels. No kitchen sinks, no post-war British self absorption, this wonderful series won accolades around the globe. It tells the story of a group of ex-patriates in Egypt during the war, and the sexual and political intrigues that define their lives through a number of different narratives. Ever lively text - Durrell is the finest writer describing landscape this century - and varied characterisation (he wavers between the complex and the two dimensional without shame!) make this a feast for tired eyes. If you have never read Durrell, read only this book and it will last you a lifetime.

Durrell's star shone only briefly in the UK - critics preferring the more minimalist writers of his generation once the puff of celebrity was over, but he always retained an audience abroad - especially in France. But as an antidote to Amis, Osbourne and the other grey men of the fifties, this is a fine option.