Mornings in Mexico & Etruscan Places

by D.H. Lawrence

CONTENTS Corasmin and The Parrots Walk to Huayapa The Mozo Market Day Indians and Entertainment The Dance of the Sprouting Corn The Hopi Snake Dance A Little Moonshine with Lemon

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Italy, Classics

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English writer of the 20th century, whose prolific and diverse output included novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, paintings, translations, literary criticism, and personal letters. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct.

Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. He is now generally valued as a visionary thinker and a significant representative of modernism in English literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.H._Law...

Reviews

[Francesco Castellani · Rating 5 out of 5]

DH Lawrence brings his flamboyant mind and writing style on a journey through Mexico first (Oaxaca) and Italy later (Lazio and Tuscany). You, as a reader, are there too.

But of all the enchantment he finds, you struggle to take enjoyment out of it if your mind is not sharp, for you must be quick at creating pictures in your mind. Pictures of the places he visits, the things he observes, and the odd human he talks to. I did struggle, forever trapped in a continuous battle between the image of a certain passage and that of the next. Usually, the first was beginning to appear, when and if it did, at the end of the passage; as soon as it materialised, it had to fade away to make room for the upcoming one.

So, I only took partial enjoyment out of this collection of books, and every time I was admonishing myself for the opportunity I lost. For looking at the world through DH Lawrence's eyes isn't certainly easy or mundane, but it is rewarding.

Go on and read this collection of books. Just try to enjoy it more than I did.

[Christina Gouthro · Rating 5 out of 5]

So rich in tangled poetry and sparkling insight. This naturalist adventurer observes life as it were, full of ancient tradition, mystery and natural power.

“The whole science of history seems to be picking of old fables and old lies into fine threads and weaving them up again”

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I quit reading, or rather delaying reading this book. It is rather reflective and i'd rather read and share in someones experiences than follow someones deeper thoughts. I agree with Francesco Castelani who says: "you struggle to take enjoyment out of it if your mind is not sharp," and so it was with me.

[Imogen Clowes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reflective rambling. Some fascinating thoughts but also some directionless sentences which make no sense. Written out like the man has a type writer scrawling down every thought. Not to be read as a travel book

[JJG · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a slog. Less a travel journal as I hoped, more musings and people observations.

[Rosie Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

on the whole i think i enjoyed this - think it was at its best when moments of actual narrative crept in, the laborious descriptions of urns and tombs and rambling philosophising became repetitive and uninspiring but the glimpses of narrative were lovely. love the way he writes too

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent "daybook" writing. I'm tempted to call them "musical journals" - the writing's consistently outstanding... great descriptions and insights.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love D.H. Lawrence. I love Tuscany. I studied the Etruscans. How could this book go wrong for me? It can't, and didn't. It did make me want to go back to Italy though.

[Withmanyroots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished in San Cristobel de las Casas after giving my copy away and finding it here again in our house.

[Reuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read this while visiting Mexico.