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Summary: The Best Bio of Lawrence: Factually and Objectively
Review: Jeremy Wilson's bio of T.E. Lawrence is a great resource and, for a subject so riddled (more than any other I know) by ulterior motive by other authors -- whether it is hero-building or hero-trouncing -- and is probably the only worthwhile biography of TEL ever written.* *I will give exception to Robert Graves, who's work has literary merit, but its age and rushed composition leaves it unfortunately incomplete and inadequate in points of fact. Wilson does a great job of putting Lawrence's accomplishements and failures during the Great War into context: a great deal of the book is spent on the background policies and overall Eastern war effort to show us exactly where Lawrence fit in. A great description of Larwrence's time as a young idealist in Syria before the war is also provided. In these two areas there is no greater work provided on Lawrence. However, I find the work loses its scholarly charm after the war, where too much is spent dwelling on the possible pyschological underpinnings of Lawrence, and attempting to explain TEL's motives behind his erradic behavior. This kind of amateur science was handled responsibly for most of the work, but the temptation to delve into the pool of conjecture and broad speculation proved too great for Wilson, as with most authorities on the subject. The work is well-researched, a bit thin in style, and full of notes and a helpful appendix. Not perfect, but definitely the best pick for a Lawrence bio out there.
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Summary: Restating history in the shadow of a great movie
Review: The hero of David Lean's cinematic masterpiece of 1962 is unforgettable to anyone who has seen this marvelous movie. Jeremy Wilson attempts a meticulous, factual biography of T. E. Lawrence. His book provides a less romantic portrayal of Lawrence, who however remains a towering and distinctive personality, but emerges more as a tragic hero than the movie character. Wilson shows Lawrence's compromises with the diplomatic maneuverings of Britain and France come to the fore in this book. Another interesting chapter of Lawrence's life --not shown in the movie -- is his own writings. This book explains the context in which Lawrence's own work Seven Pillars of Wisdom came into being. While there have been several other books on Lawrence, this one is easily one that serves as the basic reference, and which looks at other biographies, some of which questions Lawrence's own accounts of his life. In one of two appendices, for example, Wilson takes up a controversy surrounding the veracity of Lawrence's claim and torture at Deraa (which is strongly hinted in the scene in the movie where Lawrence is tortured by his Turkish captors). Overall, this book is invaluable for anyone with a curiosity to go beyond the movie.
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Summary: The Best Bio of Lawrence: Factually and Objectively
Review: This biography is the first one to read before all other. After this one readers can read other one for specific or for the history of the legend around Lawrence. For me the other book important to read is the John E. Mack book.
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Summary: Good overview but leave many questions open
Review: This book is a good read and interesting for people who want to get a good overview on the topic and are interested in history. The author sticks to the facts and let Lawrence speak through his letters. This, however, lets many questions of his character open. The author avoids getting deeper into his personality and for those who are interested in the psychology of his character will be a littlebit disappointed. The author does not (like one of the reviewers says) clearifies whether he was homosexual or not, nor does he discusses deeply his relationsship his parents and so on. The book is complementary to the film which makes a better statement about his personality and after reading this book I even more impressed about the film.
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