The four novels of
The Alexandria Quartet–
Justine(1957),
Balthazar(1958),
Mountolive(1958), and
Clea(1960) – appeared in rapid succession in Britain and the United States, exciting critical acclaim and enjoying popular success. Lawrence Durrell had been known to a small readership for his poetry, his experimental (and banned) novel
The Black Book(1938), and his travel memoirs
Prospero's Cell(1945) and
Reflections on a Marine Venus(1953). Now, in four substantial volumes, he seemed to have marshalled his resources and staked a claim to both literary greatness and bestsellerdom. Whatever the merits of the works his contemporaries were producing in the 1950s, most of those seemed cautious and provincial compared to Durrell's unabashedly romantic and experimental novels.
Durrell
2107 words
Citation: Koger, Grove. "The Alexandria Quartet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 October 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10820, accessed 23 November 2024.]
