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T.E. Lawrence: A Biography
The life of Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935), or "Lawrence of Arabia," has assumed mythic proportions. A popular hero for his role in the 1916 Arab rebellion against Turkish rule, he has been hailed as a sensitive genius drawn into the mayhem of war and denounced as a fraud and imperialist agent who--on behalf of the British government--used his position as a British Army officer to double-cross his Arab allies. This revealing biography, illustrated with over seventy rare photos, recounts Lawrence's extraordinary life and probes his complex personality, detailing his celebrity and his relentless attempts to elude it, maneuverings that ended with his fatal motorcycle crash.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 9, 2016
T. E. Lawrence by Michael Yardley is an attempt to piece together the complex and often misleading public and private life of Lawrence of Arabia. It follows his life from birth to death, with special emphasis on the years of Lawrence in the Middle East. These years are the formative portion of his narrative.
At issue is both the public persona, which is often over romanticized, and his private life, which Mr. Lawrence often gave divergent, or outright fictitious accounts of. Mr. Yardley attempts to unweave fact from fiction. Especially the fiction from Lawrence himself, biographers, publishers, and family members who have agendas of their own.
While the book is informative, it seem to read too much like a text book for my taste and some of the conclusions drawn in the text seem to be Mr. Yardley’s personal preferences, with a lack of supporting evidence. To his defense, the story of Mr. Lawrence is so covered with mystery and lies, that it may be just too hard to unweave the true life and adventures of this historic man. But his actions, especially in developing the shape of the current Middle East still lay the ground work for many of the issues of that region.
This biography is a nice summary of as much of the facts as can be determined and gives a holistic overview of the life and times of one of the 20th century’s most interesting individuals.
At issue is both the public persona, which is often over romanticized, and his private life, which Mr. Lawrence often gave divergent, or outright fictitious accounts of. Mr. Yardley attempts to unweave fact from fiction. Especially the fiction from Lawrence himself, biographers, publishers, and family members who have agendas of their own.
While the book is informative, it seem to read too much like a text book for my taste and some of the conclusions drawn in the text seem to be Mr. Yardley’s personal preferences, with a lack of supporting evidence. To his defense, the story of Mr. Lawrence is so covered with mystery and lies, that it may be just too hard to unweave the true life and adventures of this historic man. But his actions, especially in developing the shape of the current Middle East still lay the ground work for many of the issues of that region.
This biography is a nice summary of as much of the facts as can be determined and gives a holistic overview of the life and times of one of the 20th century’s most interesting individuals.
June 19, 2022
one of my heroes
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews