T. E. Lawrence: Lawrence of Arabia

by Jeremy Wilson

T. E. Lawrence of Arabia (National Portrait Gallery) Jeremy Wilson

248 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

Jeremy Wilson (1944 – 2 April 2017) was a British historian, biographer, writer, editor and was acknowledged as the leading authority on T. E. Lawrence.

Reviews

[Gareth Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the pocket-sized 1998 abridgement of Jeremy Wilson's Authorized Biography (1989) but can't find it on here. Never mind. The 1998 book works as a decent introduction to T. E. Lawrence, one that made me wish I had bought the 1000-page original, because Lawrence is a fascinating person, especially in his later years when, instead of cashing in like most people tend to do these days, he opted for an anonymous life in the lower ranks of the RAF, his only possessions being his books and his motorbike. Despite his phenomenal academic gifts, he liked to be around people from a lower class than himself and suffered bouts of debilitating depression. This was news to me and made me see Lawrence as more multifaceted than the heroic figure in the Middle East that ordinarily comes to mind.