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Lawrence and the Arabs
A full and intimate account of Lawrence's life and adventures. The author, a personal friend of Lawrence, had his permission to write this biography as a discouragement to possible misleading and inaccurae ones. He had also the advice and assistance of many of those who were with Lawrence during the Arab campaign.
Author's Note: In this concise edition of Lawrence and the Arabs I repeat my thanks to Lawrence (who has now changed his name to Shaw) for his generous permission to use copyright material from his own account of the campaign, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a book that will not be issued for public sale in his lifetime: and to the many authorities on the campaign who have helped me. R.G.
Author's Note: In this concise edition of Lawrence and the Arabs I repeat my thanks to Lawrence (who has now changed his name to Shaw) for his generous permission to use copyright material from his own account of the campaign, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a book that will not be issued for public sale in his lifetime: and to the many authorities on the campaign who have helped me. R.G.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
157 people are currently reading
647 people want to read
About the author
Robert Graves
639 books2,062 followersRobert von Ranke Graves was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. Born in Wimbledon, he received his early education at King's College School and Copthorne Prep School, Wimbledon & Charterhouse School and won a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. While at Charterhouse in 1912, he fell in love with G.H. Johnstone, a boy of fourteen ("Dick" in Goodbye to All That) When challenged by the headmaster he defended himself by citing Plato, Greek poets, Michelangelo & Shakespeare, "who had felt as I did".
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 20, 2022
A couple of weeks ago, I had what was probably my seventh viewing of the movie, "Lawrence of Arabia." While I am drawn to the story (and the cinematography that is jaw-dropping), my main fascination has always been the portrayal of the title character by Peter O'Toole. The mental and emotional journey of Lawrence is so intriguing to me that it brings me back to the film again and again. I've wondered how much of what I saw regarding personality and mental state of Lawrence was factual, and how much was invented.
In LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS, I found exactly the book to answer that. It is written by Robert Graves who had so impressed me with his books, I,CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD. At the time of his writing this book, he had known T.E. Lawrence for 7-years. Knowing that publishing houses were interested in his story, Lawrence asked Graves to write it. Graves let it be known right up front that some of what he would include would be based on his own knowledge, and that some of the content might not meet with his subject's approval. Lawrence thought that a "reinterpretation" by someone else would likely be much more desultory and "epic." So, Graves remained his primary choice.
Lawrence was still alive when LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS was published in 1927. Seeking to escape his notoriety, Lawrence had abandoned his family name and had enlisted in the RAF as Shaw. Of course, Lawrence being Lawrence, the process did not go as smoothly as he had hoped.
So, how does "Lawrence of Arabia" succeed or fail as a historical biography movie? I think that in capturing the essence of the man, it is "spot on." Lawrence was frequently an enigma to those around him, his attitude toward others could be unpredictable, his moods could fluctuate without warning, and his knowledge and stamina were staggering. His cold analysis of people and situations often reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. He had virtually no regard for his physical safety, and his appreciation of the abilities of others stood apart from whether or not he liked them.
I was also very surprised that most of the "facts" presented in the movie actually happened ... they just didn't happen in the way they were depicted! For instance, there is a famous scene in which Lawrence makes a long and treacherous journey back into the desert to rescue one of his men who has fallen from his camel unnoticed. Later, when there is a blood feud fight between that man and another man from a different tribe, the rescued man kills the other man. This threatens a tribal war unless justice is done, but no one from either tribe can deliver that justice. Lawrence, being of neither tribe, executes the man he'd rescued so that their mission can continue.
In actuality, Lawrence did go back into the desert to rescue a man who had fallen unnoticed from his camel. However, the entire rescue operation took about an hour, and the man complained so much about the unfairness of life that Lawrence threatened to leave him unless he kept quiet. The blood feud killing did occur, but it happened before the rescue incident and did not involve the rescued man. Also, a third party from neither tribe did execute the slayer, but that executioner was not Lawrence.
The movie is filled with incidents like that. They are independently confirmed in the book (the movie, of course, still almost five decades in the future), though the facts surrounding the incidents have been significantly altered despite being still true to the "spirit."
Also, when the film ends, a dispirited Lawrence leaves the Arabs with captured Damascus in chaos. He knows that he has lead the Arabs from one master to another as Britain and France divide up the lands captured from the Turks for their control. That did happen, but Lawrence would later serve as Arab advisor to Winston Churchill. When he left Churchill's service, Lawrence did so with the confidence that he had achieved all that he had originally set out to do.
Robert Graves has a wonderfully readable writing style. He provides the historical details without relying on retelling "dry" facts that would only be of interest to military historians. Instead, he probes the behaviors of Lawrence and the people surrounding him. Consequently, many of these historical figures "leapt from the page" and into my imagination while I was reading. Maps are provided (and occasional photographs), but the "magic" of the book is in making Readers feel that they actually know these participants!
O'Toole depicts a mental deterioration of Lawrence as his time in the Arab Revolt progresses. Graves details behaviors that would suggest much the same, although "his" Lawrence is better at coping with them. Occasionally, I would have appreciated more detail, such as when Graves writes that Lawrence was captured and beaten by the Turks at one point, and that his nerves were broken. They obviously didn't know who he was and eventually let him go. Since Graves does not know more details, he does not speculate.
Near the end of the book, Graves presciently writes a couple of haunting paragraphs ... part of which I'll quote here:
"Lawrence was never without a Brough-Superior racing motor-bicycle. Each year, he used to wheedle a next year's model from the makers - and ride it to death - to report on it."
Within a couple of months of leaving the RAF in the early 1930's, Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident while riding his beloved Brough-Superior. There is more unintentional foreshadowing that I found a bit chilling.
The book was constantly engaging for me, and I especially enjoyed an "aside" from Robert Graves. When he was talking with Lawrence, he was told that one officer had a surprising amount of intelligence for a man who was 6'3" in height. Graves, who is 6'2" in height, wonders in a comment to the Reader how Lawrence perceived Graves' intellectual capabilities. Of course, this is likely mentioned in jest as Lawrence was markedly short in stature with a physique that did not initially impress others.
For those wanting to know more about the man who was T.E. Lawrence, I highly recommend LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS.
In LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS, I found exactly the book to answer that. It is written by Robert Graves who had so impressed me with his books, I,CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD. At the time of his writing this book, he had known T.E. Lawrence for 7-years. Knowing that publishing houses were interested in his story, Lawrence asked Graves to write it. Graves let it be known right up front that some of what he would include would be based on his own knowledge, and that some of the content might not meet with his subject's approval. Lawrence thought that a "reinterpretation" by someone else would likely be much more desultory and "epic." So, Graves remained his primary choice.
Lawrence was still alive when LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS was published in 1927. Seeking to escape his notoriety, Lawrence had abandoned his family name and had enlisted in the RAF as Shaw. Of course, Lawrence being Lawrence, the process did not go as smoothly as he had hoped.
So, how does "Lawrence of Arabia" succeed or fail as a historical biography movie? I think that in capturing the essence of the man, it is "spot on." Lawrence was frequently an enigma to those around him, his attitude toward others could be unpredictable, his moods could fluctuate without warning, and his knowledge and stamina were staggering. His cold analysis of people and situations often reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. He had virtually no regard for his physical safety, and his appreciation of the abilities of others stood apart from whether or not he liked them.
I was also very surprised that most of the "facts" presented in the movie actually happened ... they just didn't happen in the way they were depicted! For instance, there is a famous scene in which Lawrence makes a long and treacherous journey back into the desert to rescue one of his men who has fallen from his camel unnoticed. Later, when there is a blood feud fight between that man and another man from a different tribe, the rescued man kills the other man. This threatens a tribal war unless justice is done, but no one from either tribe can deliver that justice. Lawrence, being of neither tribe, executes the man he'd rescued so that their mission can continue.
In actuality, Lawrence did go back into the desert to rescue a man who had fallen unnoticed from his camel. However, the entire rescue operation took about an hour, and the man complained so much about the unfairness of life that Lawrence threatened to leave him unless he kept quiet. The blood feud killing did occur, but it happened before the rescue incident and did not involve the rescued man. Also, a third party from neither tribe did execute the slayer, but that executioner was not Lawrence.
The movie is filled with incidents like that. They are independently confirmed in the book (the movie, of course, still almost five decades in the future), though the facts surrounding the incidents have been significantly altered despite being still true to the "spirit."
Also, when the film ends, a dispirited Lawrence leaves the Arabs with captured Damascus in chaos. He knows that he has lead the Arabs from one master to another as Britain and France divide up the lands captured from the Turks for their control. That did happen, but Lawrence would later serve as Arab advisor to Winston Churchill. When he left Churchill's service, Lawrence did so with the confidence that he had achieved all that he had originally set out to do.
Robert Graves has a wonderfully readable writing style. He provides the historical details without relying on retelling "dry" facts that would only be of interest to military historians. Instead, he probes the behaviors of Lawrence and the people surrounding him. Consequently, many of these historical figures "leapt from the page" and into my imagination while I was reading. Maps are provided (and occasional photographs), but the "magic" of the book is in making Readers feel that they actually know these participants!
O'Toole depicts a mental deterioration of Lawrence as his time in the Arab Revolt progresses. Graves details behaviors that would suggest much the same, although "his" Lawrence is better at coping with them. Occasionally, I would have appreciated more detail, such as when Graves writes that Lawrence was captured and beaten by the Turks at one point, and that his nerves were broken. They obviously didn't know who he was and eventually let him go. Since Graves does not know more details, he does not speculate.
Near the end of the book, Graves presciently writes a couple of haunting paragraphs ... part of which I'll quote here:
"Lawrence was never without a Brough-Superior racing motor-bicycle. Each year, he used to wheedle a next year's model from the makers - and ride it to death - to report on it."
Within a couple of months of leaving the RAF in the early 1930's, Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident while riding his beloved Brough-Superior. There is more unintentional foreshadowing that I found a bit chilling.
The book was constantly engaging for me, and I especially enjoyed an "aside" from Robert Graves. When he was talking with Lawrence, he was told that one officer had a surprising amount of intelligence for a man who was 6'3" in height. Graves, who is 6'2" in height, wonders in a comment to the Reader how Lawrence perceived Graves' intellectual capabilities. Of course, this is likely mentioned in jest as Lawrence was markedly short in stature with a physique that did not initially impress others.
For those wanting to know more about the man who was T.E. Lawrence, I highly recommend LAWRENCE AND THE ARABS.
November 9, 2023
I've enjoyed many of Robert Graves' novels (I Cladius; Cladius the God; Troy). So when I saw that he had written a biography of Lawrence of Arabia, I decided to pick it up. I am glad I did, it is not only an interesting look at a rather unique individual and an excellent military history of the campaign waged by Lawrence and his Arab allies against the Turkish (Ottoman) forces.
Thomas Edward Lawrence aka T.E. Shaw aka John Hume Ross, is perhaps best known for his moniker of "Lawrence of Arabia" ("Aurans" to the Arabs). Lawrence fell in love with the Middle East while he was studying archeology during his time at Oxford.
When World War I broke out the British government used Lawrence's knowledge of the peoples and the land to raise a guerilla force composed of Arabs to fight against the Turkish forces of the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence was never a military man, nor was he a government man (Foreign Office, Intelligence, etc). Merely a very talented civilian with a deep knowledge of the customs, traditions, and history of the Arab peoples. Often at loggerheads with the British military establishment, his campaigns used hit and run tactics to bog down large forces of Turkish soldiers.
This book gives a wonderful recounting of the missions, the personal politics, and the rivalries Lawrence had to navigate. Yet, it is a rather interesting fact that a young poet named Robert Graves received financial support during a hard time from Lawrence. This was the start of a lifelong friendship. Lawrence, a man who notoriously eschewed fame and publicity, trusted Graves to be honest and accurate. Thus this book.
If you ever wanted to learn about Lawrence of Arabia or about the Arab campaigns during World War One, then you will enjoy this excellent history of both.
Thomas Edward Lawrence aka T.E. Shaw aka John Hume Ross, is perhaps best known for his moniker of "Lawrence of Arabia" ("Aurans" to the Arabs). Lawrence fell in love with the Middle East while he was studying archeology during his time at Oxford.
When World War I broke out the British government used Lawrence's knowledge of the peoples and the land to raise a guerilla force composed of Arabs to fight against the Turkish forces of the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence was never a military man, nor was he a government man (Foreign Office, Intelligence, etc). Merely a very talented civilian with a deep knowledge of the customs, traditions, and history of the Arab peoples. Often at loggerheads with the British military establishment, his campaigns used hit and run tactics to bog down large forces of Turkish soldiers.
This book gives a wonderful recounting of the missions, the personal politics, and the rivalries Lawrence had to navigate. Yet, it is a rather interesting fact that a young poet named Robert Graves received financial support during a hard time from Lawrence. This was the start of a lifelong friendship. Lawrence, a man who notoriously eschewed fame and publicity, trusted Graves to be honest and accurate. Thus this book.
If you ever wanted to learn about Lawrence of Arabia or about the Arab campaigns during World War One, then you will enjoy this excellent history of both.
September 21, 2017
I really wanted to like this book. It's about a fascinating character, written by one of my favorite authors--a personal friend of Lawrence's. And I did like parts: the beginning and the end when Graves talked about Lawrence's early life and his life after the WWI campaign with the Arabs. The middle sagged and I found myself skimming over the blow by blow descriptions of (it felt like) nearly every raid or battle that Lawrence engaged in with the Arab uprising. The writing and history were as dry as the desert setting with only an occasional oasis of passion or insight into the major players. I wanted to know what motivated and inspired Lawrence and his Arab friends and foes. What I got was narrative that sounded like it came from field reports. I like biography and read a lot of it. I think Graves' version of Lawrence's life suffers from his personal friendship. I felt he held back.
Want to read
May 6, 2020Reco from NYRB's "Isolation Reading" reader's feature:
"I am now reading the only authorized autobiography of T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence and the Arabs by Robert Graves...I cannot think of a better time to be alone in the Arabian desert." —Tom M.
But see Faith Justice's comments, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So, probably not. Darn it.
"I am now reading the only authorized autobiography of T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence and the Arabs by Robert Graves...I cannot think of a better time to be alone in the Arabian desert." —Tom M.
But see Faith Justice's comments, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So, probably not. Darn it.
October 11, 2019
It's a curious mixture of personal memories of an exotic friend and individual and a clear-sighted review of the events of the Arab Revolt. The result is very engaging and very different from what others wrote about him. And what he wrote about himself.
One memorable section deals with Arab casualties which were much heavier than usually admitted. Lawrence's two personal batsmen were both killed, for example.
British involvement was also greater than I remember from other accounts. Arab unity wasn't up to much and discipline non-existent. How Lawrence managed to keep the British brass off his back whilst simultaneously herding Arab forces towards effectiveness and victory is the ultimate testament to his odd skillset as a leader.
This is worth reading because it has a different perspective on Lawrence. He gained independence for the Arabs; tragically and inevitably the great powers had different ideas.
To this day, we are all still paying a vast price in blood and treasure for their greed and lack of vision. Recent events involving the Turkish armed forces invasion of Kurdish-held Syria herald a new, even bloodiest phase of regional conflict: it may even be the start of World War Three.
One memorable section deals with Arab casualties which were much heavier than usually admitted. Lawrence's two personal batsmen were both killed, for example.
British involvement was also greater than I remember from other accounts. Arab unity wasn't up to much and discipline non-existent. How Lawrence managed to keep the British brass off his back whilst simultaneously herding Arab forces towards effectiveness and victory is the ultimate testament to his odd skillset as a leader.
This is worth reading because it has a different perspective on Lawrence. He gained independence for the Arabs; tragically and inevitably the great powers had different ideas.
To this day, we are all still paying a vast price in blood and treasure for their greed and lack of vision. Recent events involving the Turkish armed forces invasion of Kurdish-held Syria herald a new, even bloodiest phase of regional conflict: it may even be the start of World War Three.
April 4, 2019
3.4 out of 5. I’m a fan of Laurence of Arabia. I’ve read Revolt in the Desert and watched the film several times each. This book does give some added material. It’s more structured and describes the actions in a lot of detail. It also relates the action to the overall war in the Middle East, and gives the context around Allenby’s campaign, which is enlightening. The maps also help. The writing is clear and factual.
As Robert Graves is the author, I suppose I was expecting something a bit more literary. As he was Laurence’s friend it shows Laurence in a positive light, and his many flaws aren’t elaborated on! The report-like delivery gets a bit tedious, and two thirds of the way through I was wishing they would get to Damascus and finish the Revolt! Still, a worthwhile read for fans of TE Laurence.
As Robert Graves is the author, I suppose I was expecting something a bit more literary. As he was Laurence’s friend it shows Laurence in a positive light, and his many flaws aren’t elaborated on! The report-like delivery gets a bit tedious, and two thirds of the way through I was wishing they would get to Damascus and finish the Revolt! Still, a worthwhile read for fans of TE Laurence.
May 10, 2022
I did not know anything about Lawrence of Arabia. Now I know a little.
Some of the material sounds a little fantastical and designed to make a myth out of a historically great figure. For example, it's going to be difficult to convince me that T.E. Lawrence read the 10,000 in the Oxford library in just a couple of years. That would mean 6-13 books a day, every single day depending on your definition of a "couple".
How he was able to unify the Arab tribes and fight an unconventional war in the desert is an incredible feat worthy of myth however. I wonder if he suspected how much he was changing history.
Overall this is a decent account of Lawrence in the years of WW1 though it probably hurts the overall credibility that Graves considers himself a friend of T.E. Lawrence.
I'm looking forward to more reading on the subject and I want to see the movie now.
Some of the material sounds a little fantastical and designed to make a myth out of a historically great figure. For example, it's going to be difficult to convince me that T.E. Lawrence read the 10,000 in the Oxford library in just a couple of years. That would mean 6-13 books a day, every single day depending on your definition of a "couple".
How he was able to unify the Arab tribes and fight an unconventional war in the desert is an incredible feat worthy of myth however. I wonder if he suspected how much he was changing history.
Overall this is a decent account of Lawrence in the years of WW1 though it probably hurts the overall credibility that Graves considers himself a friend of T.E. Lawrence.
I'm looking forward to more reading on the subject and I want to see the movie now.
May 24, 2020
I feel barely enlightened about the Arab Revolt other than the Turks were planning to do to them what they did to the Armenians. However, the Arabs were more spread out and tribal AND they had T.E. Lawrence. If you like descriptions of maneuvers, battles, and war strategy then this is the book for you. For me, however, it was desert dry reading.
September 22, 2016
Written when Robert Graves was still, like Lawrence, a young man - this is an outstanding biography by one veteran of the world's bloodiest conflict about another. Part travelogue, part war story, part warm personal tribute to a close friend and fellow writer, the writing carries the reader with it from the opening page to the ending with Lawrence's whirlwind reorganization of Damascus ahead of the entry by the Brits and Aussies and where - despite knowing what happens - you can't help hoping that the Arabs will somehow manage to put it over the perfidious French. Love the quote from Feisal to the French general who spoke of French claims to the region dating back to the Crusades: "But General, do you not recall who won the Crusades?" Poignant, too, reading the description of the tribal divisions in Syria and the difficulties of governance deriving therefrom - little has changed.
June 11, 2020
T.E. Lawrence is one of the most fascinating figures in modern history. It is a great wonder how a young Englishman helped wield together the chaotic Arab tribes to drive out the Turks from the Middle East on WW1
This book is interesting because Robert Graves was a friend of his (so he says), and while he sheds a very favorable light on Lawrence, his immediacy and his anecdotes give an interesting glimpse into Lawrence. While it drags in places, all the various parts bring up an interesting sketch of Lawrence.
A few key insights-
Lawrence was a very reluctant leader, but the way he threw himself into it, probably help galvanize the Arabs, who were rightly suspicious of Allied motives.
Lawrence was very troubled by the two-facedness of Allied policy, promising independence for the Arabs, but also seeking to partition the post-Ottoman Middle East. It is not some 21st century apologist revisionism. This book was written in the 1920's.
The movies cast Lawrence as this charismatic and dashing figure. While that was part of his persona, he spent his postwar years avoiding the spotlight and credit.
As much as we think we know Lawrence, we really don't.
This book is interesting because Robert Graves was a friend of his (so he says), and while he sheds a very favorable light on Lawrence, his immediacy and his anecdotes give an interesting glimpse into Lawrence. While it drags in places, all the various parts bring up an interesting sketch of Lawrence.
A few key insights-
Lawrence was a very reluctant leader, but the way he threw himself into it, probably help galvanize the Arabs, who were rightly suspicious of Allied motives.
Lawrence was very troubled by the two-facedness of Allied policy, promising independence for the Arabs, but also seeking to partition the post-Ottoman Middle East. It is not some 21st century apologist revisionism. This book was written in the 1920's.
The movies cast Lawrence as this charismatic and dashing figure. While that was part of his persona, he spent his postwar years avoiding the spotlight and credit.
As much as we think we know Lawrence, we really don't.
January 18, 2021
This is a rather straightforward account of Lawrence’s involvement with the Arab Fight for “Independence,” which as he himself expressed rather cynically, was never really going to amount in a free Arab state in the end. He did lead a band of “irregular” Arab fighters who primarily engaged in sting operations (blowing up Turkish supply trains and the like), which eventually went fairly far in winning out against the Turks and Germans in the Middle Eastern Theatre of the Great War.
It’s quite dry, and I would recommend an abridged version, as it the details become rather tedious at times. That said, if you can wade through the minutiae, it really does paint an informative picture of the backdrop of 20th century Middle East politics. One wonders, if Hussein had not been so stubborn about making Mecca the Capitol of the whole Arab state, how things might have turned out differently for the success of a true Arab state. I’m of the mind that the UK still would have screwed the pooch ... “Sun Never Sets” and that glorious horse sh**(or in this case, camel sh**).
It’s quite dry, and I would recommend an abridged version, as it the details become rather tedious at times. That said, if you can wade through the minutiae, it really does paint an informative picture of the backdrop of 20th century Middle East politics. One wonders, if Hussein had not been so stubborn about making Mecca the Capitol of the whole Arab state, how things might have turned out differently for the success of a true Arab state. I’m of the mind that the UK still would have screwed the pooch ... “Sun Never Sets” and that glorious horse sh**(or in this case, camel sh**).
May 16, 2021
Desde que un periodista norteamericano a finales de 1919 comenzó a publicar reportajes de T. E. Lawrence, su fama no dejó de crecer. Puede considerarse una verdadera estrella en su tiempo, algo que en realidad Lawrence siempre rechazó.
El escritor Robert Graves, conoció en 1920 a Lawrence, y fue el encargado de escribir y publicar la versión autorizada de sus andanzas en la PGM. Publicada en 1927 "Lawrence y los árabes" es una obra válida si quieres saber con detalle casi el diario de guerra de la Revuelta Árabe, pero no es una biografía al uso -al margen de la vida familiar y estudiantil de la primera etapa de nuestro protagonista- y no hay apenas perspectiva de los hechos, y aunque tampoco se trata de una hagiografía edulcorada totalmente en favor de Lawrence, no puede ocultar su visión venial del gran arqueólogo galés.
Si no eres un estudioso de ese periodo o un fanboy de Lawrence esta obra te va a resultar muy decepcionante y sobre todo aburrida.
Nota: 5/10
El escritor Robert Graves, conoció en 1920 a Lawrence, y fue el encargado de escribir y publicar la versión autorizada de sus andanzas en la PGM. Publicada en 1927 "Lawrence y los árabes" es una obra válida si quieres saber con detalle casi el diario de guerra de la Revuelta Árabe, pero no es una biografía al uso -al margen de la vida familiar y estudiantil de la primera etapa de nuestro protagonista- y no hay apenas perspectiva de los hechos, y aunque tampoco se trata de una hagiografía edulcorada totalmente en favor de Lawrence, no puede ocultar su visión venial del gran arqueólogo galés.
Si no eres un estudioso de ese periodo o un fanboy de Lawrence esta obra te va a resultar muy decepcionante y sobre todo aburrida.
Nota: 5/10
August 28, 2021
I was lucky enough to pick up a beautifully bound edition of this printed in 1934 at a second hand bookshop just recently and it was as pleasurable a read as it is to admire.
A factual telling of Lawrence's campaign in Arabia as opposed to the more dramatised versions out there.
Whilst the overall coverage of it was fascinating I found most enjoyable the little snippets and tales recounted by the author as relayed by Lawrence. His two aides who were practical jokers, Auda in Damascus, the meals he was forced to attend as a guest. A lot of the little detail makes this truly enjoyable.
It wasn't a perfect read and at times it felt that the narrative focus was in the wrong place, but ultimately a fascinating read.
A factual telling of Lawrence's campaign in Arabia as opposed to the more dramatised versions out there.
Whilst the overall coverage of it was fascinating I found most enjoyable the little snippets and tales recounted by the author as relayed by Lawrence. His two aides who were practical jokers, Auda in Damascus, the meals he was forced to attend as a guest. A lot of the little detail makes this truly enjoyable.
It wasn't a perfect read and at times it felt that the narrative focus was in the wrong place, but ultimately a fascinating read.
September 24, 2024
What an incredible man. Lawrence is one of that breed of superhumans that only show up once or twice in a hundred years. What’s most interesting is how little he wanted the power he’d fought for, once he got his hands on it. Graves’ writing is clear and very well organized, if a bit on the dry side sometimes. I can’t necessarily recognize much of the style he’d later exhibit in I, CLAUDIUS or HERCULES MY SHIPMATE, but admittedly the subject is much less remote. Either way it’s well-told. Narration by Porter is also very good. [AUDIBLE]
とんでもない人、ロレンス。色んな信じられないことやった。世界の100年間の1人のような人。グレーヴズ作者の本がよかった、けど彼のもっと遅いの本のスタイルまだ見えない
とんでもない人、ロレンス。色んな信じられないことやった。世界の100年間の1人のような人。グレーヴズ作者の本がよかった、けど彼のもっと遅いの本のスタイルまだ見えない
March 6, 2022
A very interesting read especially since it was completed by a friend of Lawrence, before he died and between the first and second world wars, all of which really enriched the perspective. While the description of events seems plausible, and I appreciate Grave’s invitations to the reader to consider other works, I was at times put off by some of the descriptions of Lawrence that seemed to assign him to a class of super humans.
November 28, 2016
Although somewhat dated, a very enjoyable biography of T.E. Lawrence and his work with the Arabs. I coming to believe if those dividing up the spoils of World War I had listened to Lawrence many of the issues we face today in the world would have come to a head sooner and be done with. Overall excellent work for 1920's...
October 8, 2025
Too much details about the Arab war in itself. I would rather have preffered details about his character, his life, his legacy. If I wanted that much details about the Arab war, I would have read the original Seven pillars of wisdom.
But the author, being a close friend of T.E. and being his contemporary, offers interesting insights and deconstructs some popular and misleading myths about T.E.
But the author, being a close friend of T.E. and being his contemporary, offers interesting insights and deconstructs some popular and misleading myths about T.E.
July 27, 2019
Interesting read, gives good insight into the Arab revolt. But I just completed 400+ pages of Lawrence and still can't make out his character. Seems to be that kind of person.
January 12, 2020
Lots and lots of detail about missions which bled together.
June 8, 2022
Dreadfully boring apart from the introduction
June 28, 2022
A much more historical account than the sensationalist (is that a word?) account put forward by Thomas.
October 16, 2022
It could be better written. He could make more drama of the events. But the subject matter is just ASTOUNDING.
August 23, 2024
fascinating
A great read, much new information. Extraordinary to think what he achieved in a short span of time. A great shame his dream for the Arabs did not sustain.
A great read, much new information. Extraordinary to think what he achieved in a short span of time. A great shame his dream for the Arabs did not sustain.
March 20, 2025
this DIVA
Read
April 15, 2024Subtitled ‘An Intimate Biography’ written by Lawrence’s friend, more famous as an author and war poet; they had met in Oxford. Their respective war-time experiences could not have been different, and I must admit to knowing very little about this quieter Eastern theatre. Britain and its allies hoped that attacking the Turks and their vulnerable Ottoman Empire would hasten the war of attrition in the west. There were also colonial aspirations for a post-war/post-empire partition … but I’m getting ahead of myself.
T.E. Lawrence was in the RAF when this book was written in 1927, trying to keep under the radar using the assumed name of Shaw, as an engineer, despite his Colonelcy and many accolades from his war service. As Graves says in the introduction, Lawrence had an, ‘exasperatingly complex personality’, including an annoyance with the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ title, and his feeling that he was a fraud. As an act of kindness he had secretly requested that Graves write his biography, but also to calm the calls for him to write an autobiography after the success of his ‘7 pillars of Wisdom’. He wanted to get on with his life quietly maintaining planes, being part of a team, and riding his motorbike too fast!
Lawrence, or El Aurens/Aurans as he was known, was a somewhat reluctant and unorthodox leader. He found himself in a unique and valuable position, useful to the British as a ‘white Arab’ who knew the geography, language, and culture of the Arabian Peninsula, but also a trusted champion of the Arab Revolt. He had previously being working as an archaeologist in Mesopotamia (which became Irak and then Iraq) and Syria and became, almost by default, a source of information, an adviser, a leader, and famed destroyer of train ordinance!
The plan was to foment and support the Arabs to rise up against their Ottoman masters, initially under the flag of the Sherif of Mecca (King Hussein), but more significantly his sons and a ragtag alliance - a proxy army - of tribal leaders and factions. Lawrence seemed to find an affinity with the desert life and the warrior class that reminded him of medieval knights and his post-graduate research on Norman Castles!
The majority of this book is more like a history of this campaign during 1917/18 with routes criss-crossing the area from Egypt to Syria, and the pilgrims railway from Medina up through Transjordan to Damascus. Alongside this was a more ‘traditional’ war as the British and Colonial forces pushed up through the Levant, but Lawrence pioneered a guerrilla campaign of hit-and-run raids, punishing camel drives, and general harrying of the Turks infrastructure. In only one instance did Lawrence get involved leading a more signifiant battle in Tafilah, between Petra and the Red Sea (now Jordan), which he regretted for the loss of life.
Despite Lawrence’s best efforts in the aftermath of the war, including a period working for Winston Churchill and the colonial office, he was not able to prevent the English and French dividing up the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, which he knew was a major war aim, although Prince Feisal (one of Hussein’s sons) did rule in Syria for the French and then later in Iraq. Hussein himself hoped to lead the whole region from Mecca, which was unrealistic, and he was eventually usurped by the Saudi families and Wahhabism. This is maybe part of the regret that Lawrence/Shaw took into his later life, despite being pragmatic about whether his beloved Arabs were ready and able to rule independently or as a confederation. It’s interesting from the hindsight of nearly 100 years how little oil and the Jewish homeland featured in this period, or maybe the religious and commercial dimensions were less important to Lawrence and Graves?
I throughly enjoyed this ‘boys own’ adventure, a geo-political history lesson, and my time with Lawrence, a fascinating scruffy figure with a slender (i.e. small) frame and large head! There is also a special mention for the gorgeous hand-drawn maps from the brilliantly named Herry Perry.
T.E. Lawrence was in the RAF when this book was written in 1927, trying to keep under the radar using the assumed name of Shaw, as an engineer, despite his Colonelcy and many accolades from his war service. As Graves says in the introduction, Lawrence had an, ‘exasperatingly complex personality’, including an annoyance with the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ title, and his feeling that he was a fraud. As an act of kindness he had secretly requested that Graves write his biography, but also to calm the calls for him to write an autobiography after the success of his ‘7 pillars of Wisdom’. He wanted to get on with his life quietly maintaining planes, being part of a team, and riding his motorbike too fast!
Lawrence, or El Aurens/Aurans as he was known, was a somewhat reluctant and unorthodox leader. He found himself in a unique and valuable position, useful to the British as a ‘white Arab’ who knew the geography, language, and culture of the Arabian Peninsula, but also a trusted champion of the Arab Revolt. He had previously being working as an archaeologist in Mesopotamia (which became Irak and then Iraq) and Syria and became, almost by default, a source of information, an adviser, a leader, and famed destroyer of train ordinance!
The plan was to foment and support the Arabs to rise up against their Ottoman masters, initially under the flag of the Sherif of Mecca (King Hussein), but more significantly his sons and a ragtag alliance - a proxy army - of tribal leaders and factions. Lawrence seemed to find an affinity with the desert life and the warrior class that reminded him of medieval knights and his post-graduate research on Norman Castles!
The majority of this book is more like a history of this campaign during 1917/18 with routes criss-crossing the area from Egypt to Syria, and the pilgrims railway from Medina up through Transjordan to Damascus. Alongside this was a more ‘traditional’ war as the British and Colonial forces pushed up through the Levant, but Lawrence pioneered a guerrilla campaign of hit-and-run raids, punishing camel drives, and general harrying of the Turks infrastructure. In only one instance did Lawrence get involved leading a more signifiant battle in Tafilah, between Petra and the Red Sea (now Jordan), which he regretted for the loss of life.
Despite Lawrence’s best efforts in the aftermath of the war, including a period working for Winston Churchill and the colonial office, he was not able to prevent the English and French dividing up the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, which he knew was a major war aim, although Prince Feisal (one of Hussein’s sons) did rule in Syria for the French and then later in Iraq. Hussein himself hoped to lead the whole region from Mecca, which was unrealistic, and he was eventually usurped by the Saudi families and Wahhabism. This is maybe part of the regret that Lawrence/Shaw took into his later life, despite being pragmatic about whether his beloved Arabs were ready and able to rule independently or as a confederation. It’s interesting from the hindsight of nearly 100 years how little oil and the Jewish homeland featured in this period, or maybe the religious and commercial dimensions were less important to Lawrence and Graves?
I throughly enjoyed this ‘boys own’ adventure, a geo-political history lesson, and my time with Lawrence, a fascinating scruffy figure with a slender (i.e. small) frame and large head! There is also a special mention for the gorgeous hand-drawn maps from the brilliantly named Herry Perry.
June 25, 2016
Esta es una pequeña joya de Robert Graves, el mismo autor de Yo Claudio y de Claudio el dios y su esposa Mesalina. La biografía con lo esencial de Thomas Edward Lawrence, también conocido como Lawrence de Arabia, un personaje bastante particular, capaz de hacer puente entre muchas culturas, con un enorme amor a la antropología y la historia, lector inveterado de prácticamente la totalidad de los libros de la biblioteca de Oxford, hablante de varias lenguas, sin llegar a ser como un Schliemann, pero con una capacidad asombrante para lenguas orientales, como se le describió, un arabófono nacido en Inglaterra, un carismático estratega que logró una de las hazañas militares de los tiempos, con apenas 4000 miembros de un ejército irregular de diferentes tribus beduinas, algunas de ellas con tendencia a desertar con enorme facilidad, logró poner en jaque a las 24 divisiones del ejército turco que estaban presentes en Tierra Santa, y que contaban con el apoyo del imperio alemán, así logró que el ejército inglés comandado por Allenby finalmente logró que cristianos llegaran a Jerusalén, lo cual no había ocurrido desde la caída de San Juan de Acre en 1291.
La amistad entre Lawrence y Faysal, logró mantener unidas estos heterogéneos grupos sociales de beduinos (Huwaytat, Ruwallah, entre otros) y de ahí finalmente, con la ayuda del general inglés “Bloodybull” Allenby, logró paulatinamente la caída de diferentes enclaves geográficos en Sinaí, por el ejemplo Aqaba, Dara, Tafila, Maan….. fue testigo de la sevicia otomana en Tafa, y finalmente sólo aspiró a ser un escritor en una vivienda en la Inglaterra posvictoriana y de posguerra de la primera guerra mundial, renunciando graciosamente a tener ningún puesto de poder en la naciente nacionalidad árabe saudí, viendo como estos nacientes territorios sufrieron la influencia geopolítica de ingleses y franceses, en un complicado juego de poder…. Mucho de la historia de inicios del siglo XX en el cercano oriente, tiene que ver con este singular personaje, inmortalizado por el irlandés Peter O´Toole.
La amistad entre Lawrence y Faysal, logró mantener unidas estos heterogéneos grupos sociales de beduinos (Huwaytat, Ruwallah, entre otros) y de ahí finalmente, con la ayuda del general inglés “Bloodybull” Allenby, logró paulatinamente la caída de diferentes enclaves geográficos en Sinaí, por el ejemplo Aqaba, Dara, Tafila, Maan….. fue testigo de la sevicia otomana en Tafa, y finalmente sólo aspiró a ser un escritor en una vivienda en la Inglaterra posvictoriana y de posguerra de la primera guerra mundial, renunciando graciosamente a tener ningún puesto de poder en la naciente nacionalidad árabe saudí, viendo como estos nacientes territorios sufrieron la influencia geopolítica de ingleses y franceses, en un complicado juego de poder…. Mucho de la historia de inicios del siglo XX en el cercano oriente, tiene que ver con este singular personaje, inmortalizado por el irlandés Peter O´Toole.
April 10, 2016
I have always been curious to read about TE Lawrence. I even purchased a copy of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", but never managed to read it.
I didn't realize that Robert Graves, an excellent writer I have previously read, had written probably the best account of the man. Graves became a friend of Lawrence after WWI, and ended up taking on the job of writing his biography after Lawrence (in typical fashion) forbade the further publication of "Revolt in the Desert" upon paying off debts.
Graves biography is very sympathetic to Lawrence and as with such figures of historic importance, the facts and significance of the Arab campaign have been argued back and forth over the years. I am much more interested in the singular character of the man, and here I think Graves is best. He not only knew Lawrence well, but was able to collect accounts first hand from others who knew him. Grave's great ability as writer and his keen intelligence give a great description of Lawrence the man.
I didn't realize that Robert Graves, an excellent writer I have previously read, had written probably the best account of the man. Graves became a friend of Lawrence after WWI, and ended up taking on the job of writing his biography after Lawrence (in typical fashion) forbade the further publication of "Revolt in the Desert" upon paying off debts.
Graves biography is very sympathetic to Lawrence and as with such figures of historic importance, the facts and significance of the Arab campaign have been argued back and forth over the years. I am much more interested in the singular character of the man, and here I think Graves is best. He not only knew Lawrence well, but was able to collect accounts first hand from others who knew him. Grave's great ability as writer and his keen intelligence give a great description of Lawrence the man.
May 29, 2011
Well written, almost chatty in places. Almost no one else had better access to Lawrence and this is written after WWI but before Lawrence's death avoiding the hagiography that was to come. Highly recommended but start with a good modern biography as Graves can wander around the timeline & expects the reader to already have a knowledge of Lawrence's Middle Eastern campaigns.
January 11, 2017
I found this unabridged audiobook on Hoopla Digital. Pleasantly surprised to discover that Robert Graves wrote a full-length book on the life of his friend, T.E. Lawrence, in the late 1920s. It's always edifying to read (or in my case, hear) one very knowledgeable & cultured man's views of another such person and his life of action.
July 18, 2021
A biography of T.E. Lawrence by one of his friends. Insightful and it covers some information Lawrence did not include in "Revolt In The Desert". I had remembered reading in a biography of Churchill how Churchill demanded Lawrence come to his house in the Arabian garb to entertain his guests. This type of information needs to be considered when Lawrence is accused of exhibitionism.
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