Lawrence Durrell

Lawrence George Durrell was a critically acclaimed and much-loved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer. He was born in Jalandhar, British India, in 1912, to Indian-born British colonials. Durrell is best known for his Alexandria Quartet novels, which are ranked among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century by the Modern Library. His prolific career included not only the Alexandria Quartet but also the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. The third novel of the Avignon Quintet, Constance (1982), was even nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize.

In addition to his fiction, Durrell wrote the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. He corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller's influence can be seen in much of Durrell's early work, including his provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell's love of travel and rich literary background history, no doubt influenced by his upbringing as an Indian-born British colonial, made his work distinctively his and his alone. His stories are both fun and engaging, with a unique style of storytelling that is both rich and inventive, transporting readers regardless of where they're from.

Durrell's family, including his mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, had a significant impact on his life and work. The time they spent together on the island of Corfu was the subject of Gerald's memoirs and has been filmed numerous times for TV. Lawrence Durrell died in France in 1990, leaving behind a legacy as a masterful storyteller and a prolific writer whose work continues to captivate readers to this day.