Product Description

Consisting of Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive and Clea, The Alexandria Quartet explores the sexual and political intrigues of a group of expatriates in Egypt before and after the Second World War. In Justine, L. G. Darley attempts to reconcile himself to the recent end of his affair with the dark, passionate, multi-faceted Justine Hosnani. Balthazar is named for Darley's friend, a doctor and mystic, and it provides a retelling of Darley's romance with Justine from a more philosophical perspective. Mountolive is the narrative of English ambassador David Mountolive. The final volume, Clea, finds Darley maturing into the knowledge that the gifted painter Clea Montis is the woman for whom he is truly destined.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44606 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 884 pages

Customer Reviews

The Glittering Kaleidoscope
Throughout The Alexandria Quartet, Durrell writes with a richness and resonance that is mesmerising. It is a glittering kaleidoscope of genius. His cast of characters is full of wonderful individuals, whether it be the raddled old sea dog Scobie, or the suave Nessim, the party loving Pombal, all chime with the resonance of people whom Durrell must have closely observed. The plot is as twisted as the stands of rope securing the Egyptian dhows to their moorings in Alexandria Harbour. The Quartet rings with the echoes of Severis' poetry, and has snatches of aracane philosophy and descriptions of the Gnostics that give a fascinating insight into the rich social and religious palimpsest that was and is Egypt, along with a real understanding of the diplomatic and political interplay of Britain and Egypt in the early 20th century. Reading the book is like whirling one way on a merry-go-round, trying to watch a static object - only to discover yourself on another merry-go-round whirling a different way trying to keep your eyes on the original object. It looks quite different. Durrell twists time to allow multiple viewpoints of the same story, and then allows the fourth volume to complete the chronological continuum so the story composes itself, and the true nature of the preceding events is finally aligned and arranged and there is a sense of closure. Without doubt one of my favourite books of all time, to be savoured in the balmy evenings of a Mediterranean island, listening to the warm wind through the palms, with the creak of cicadas in the background.

Complex and wonderful
The first volume, 'Justine', reads like a competent and engaging but rather predictable tale of adulterous romance - until 'Balthazaar' turns your perceptions completely upside down - and then 'Mountolive' repeats the same dizzying trick ('Clea' is a little disappointing, though). If I had not been stuck on holiday with a combined edition, I might not have progressed beyond 'Justine', and would have missed out on one of the most stimulating and enjoyable reads of my life. These books remind us that whatever we may think we understand about the world or other people is always open to re-interpretation.

Story-telling at its best, characters to stir your very soul
This is an exquisite piece of story-telling, tracing the eccentric lives of old souls scratching around in the detritus of a tired, grimy but magnificent old city. The characterisations are vivid, shocking and flamboyantly colourful. My particular favourite, the "old pirate" Scobie with his bathtub of illicit whisky, heretical parrot and manservant with an unfortunate sideline in botched circumcisions, has been one of the most eccentric and sympathetic characters I have had the priviledge to read in literature - his ending, in a tiny and stiflingly hot police cell by the docks, where the narrator struggles by candlelight to pull his stiffened body out of a woman's dress and into the decency of a proper military uniform, becomes ressurection as the dim recollection from the sleepy souls of his district mix their recollections of him with half-forgotten mythology and elevate his sand-filled bathtub into the shrine of "El-Skob", and the sailors from the very warship who had caused his untimely demise fire salutes to his honour. Truly there is nothing to compare to the intricate narrative style of this superb series of novels.