Lawrence Durrell

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Florida

With the publication of Justine Lawrence Durrell became, almost overnight, one of the most talked about, widely acclaimed novelists of the decade. Now, in Bitter Lemons, his focus has shifted from the world of his imagination to life itself. Writing in the exquisite poetic prose that critics have hailed as unequalled in contemporary literature, he tells the perceptive, often humorous story of his experiences on the island of Cyprus -- first as a visitor, then as a householder and teacher and finally as Press Advisor to a government on the verge of revolution. Partly because of his ability to speak fluent Greek, but mainly because of his rare understanding of the people of Cyprus, Durrell found a ready welcome in the little village where he chose to settle. His portrayal of the warm, friendly people among whom he made his home is but one of this book's many delights. There are vivid pictures of the villages on their ways of life, the ancient edifices, the flowers, mountains and sea, the sunlight that gave the island its unique, peaceful quality. There are, too, hilarious descriptions of the problems of buying a house and teaching English in the local high school, where all the girls fell in love with Durrell and showered him with presents of roses, poems and even a special kind of meatball. Gradually, however, life on the sunny island was darkened by political turmoil which exploded into a revolution when Cypriots, crying for union with Greece, rose up against the British. Durrell movingly recounts the slow deterioration of the political situation and the part he tried to play in helping both sides to understand each other. Finally forced to admit defeat, he resigned from the post he had held for two years as Press Officer and left the island.

Bitter Lemons

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Bitter Lemons of Cyprus is Lawrence Durrell's unique account of his time in Cyprus, during the 1950s Enosis movement for freedom of the island from British colonial rule. Winner of the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, it is a document at once personal, poetic and subtly political - a masterly combination of travelogue, memoir and treatise.

'He writes as an artist, as well as a poet; he remembers colour and landscape and the nuances of peasant conversation . . . Eschewing politics, it says more about them than all our leading articles . . . In describing a political tragedy it often has great poetic beauty.' Kingsley Martin, New Statesman

'Durrell possesses exceptional qualifications. He speaks Greek fluently; he has a wide knowledge of modern Greek history, politics and literature; he has lived in continental Greece and has spent many years in other Greek islands . . . His account of this calamity is revelatory, moving and restrained. It is written in the sensitive and muscular prose of which he is so consummate a master.' Harold Nicolson, Observer

Category - Non Fiction / Travel

Format - Paperback

Condition - Good

Listed - 4 months ago

Views - 9

Wishes - 1

Ships From - Florida

Est. Publication Date - Oct 1959

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Bitter Lemons of Cyprus

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