 Foundations of conflict |
| Review Date: April 17, 2003 |
| Reviewer: frumiousb, Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
It is difficult to describe the experience of reading The Seven Pillars. It is by turns beautiful and ugly. It is military history. It is a subjective view provided by a man very much of his time. It is an apology and an excuse for the necessities of war. It is a portrait of a tribe that Lawrence came to respect and even love. It is a travel book about life in the desert at the time of writing. It is inevitably a mix of fact and history and fiction and probably at least a little bit of wishful thinking.
It is, ultimately, a pretty amazing book to read.
A few notes:
Before you read the book, do some quick background reading on the history that's involved. This will help avoid confusion.
Be prepared for a long read! It's not only a long book, it's an extremely dense book. The choppiness and frequent changes in tone make it hard to put on the reading cruise control.
Read it as a product of its time. Lawrence was a fascinating man, but not without his prejudices or faults. |
Extraordinary Book by Extraordinary Man
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| Review Date: May 7, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Susan Shwartz, Forest Hills, NY United States |
| SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM would be that rarity, an extraordinary tale of action, adventure, politics, and introspection, told by a writer who was also a first-rate intellectual and man of letters (the two -are- different), if it weren't also part of a tradition in English letters: the man or woman such as Charles Doughty or Gertrude Bell or Hester Stanhope or Freya Stark, or the men who went off and played the Great Game in India and Afghanistan who willingly entered cultures alien to them and returned changed, with books for us. Of all of these, Lawrence has fascinated me most. I first read SEVEN PILLARS when I was twelve, and I've read it every couple of years since then. As I grow wiser, it grows richer. Lawrence was an unlikely defender of empire, an unlikelier man of action who forced himself into a kind of ascetic mental and physical preparation for the great deeds he felt himself called upon to play. Living as he did from 1888 to 1935, he was practically born in the last age where someone could express that claim without being ridiculed; and he found his war in the Arab Revolt, that long-lasting sideline to the War to End All Wars that produced more war -- and some great writers, among whom Lawrence was one. This is a story of war. It's also a story of heroism and of anguish, written by a man who not only shaped events, but was shaped -- and warped -- by them. It can be read as military strategy, political history, travel story, or pathology. But it's better to read it as itself: a unique and complex book written by a man who was loved and admired by the most famous people of his time, but who, in the end, wanted only obscurity and the anesthetizing speed of one of the motorcycles that killed him. |
Even better than the movie
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| Review Date: January 27, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| Movies are often more dazzling than the events they are based upon, but this is a rare instance in which even Hollywood and David Lean could not do justice to their larger than life subject matter. Although Lawrence seemed to think he was writing a history of WWI in the middle east, his account of the war is episodic and confusing. But that doesn't matter at all. This is one of the most astounding adventure stories ever told, all the more amazing because it's true. Or, if you're not an adventure enthusiast, read it as a travelogue of the middle east. Lawrence will fascinate you with such seemingly prosaic things as the texture of the Arabian sand. In many ways, this is one of the greatest books ever written. Lawrence was, however, a product of his times. His attitude toward the Arab people vascillates between admiration and patronization, and some readers might find this aspect of the book distasteful. |
Lawrence is back!!
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| Review Date: July 16, 2005 |
| Reviewer: antistat, Culver City, Ca United States |
| Genral Abizaid quotes this book on a regular basis. The London Times (May 22, 2005) reports every American working as a liaison officer with the Arabs carries a copy of this book with them. This month's Army Magazine (online version, July, 2005) has an article called T.E. Lawrence and the Mind of an Insurgent. In it Genearl Giap (who whipped us in Viet Nam) is quoted as saying that Seven Pillars of Wisdom was his guerilla war bible, that he never went anywhere without it. My point is, T.E. Lawrence's well deserved reputation as a military genius has been fully restored after decades of angry revisionists taking out their frustration over the mess in the Middle East on Mr. Lawrence. This book is all things to all people. If you're looking for a vivid, intense description of war in the desert, this is where to go. If you want a damn good adventure story with well drawn characters, look no further. No better travel book has ever been written about the Middle East. Want to understand the Arab mind as well as a Westerner can? This is where to start. As a penetrating, revealing self analysis it has no equal. And, as General Giap and Abizaid have said, there is no better guide to guerilla war. This book is a masterpiece on every level and we should be so grateful we have it. |
One of the best books ever written!
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| Review Date: July 16, 2006 |
| Reviewer: B. J. Pruett, WASHINGTON, DC USA |
I first read this book in the early 1960s and because of it T. E. Lawrence became my favorite author. And after all of these years he still is. It's not a frivolous book; the writing does demand your attention and effort. The book is full of adventure, humor, history, analysis, and biographical insight of Lawrence and the Arabs and their life. And as other reviewers have noted, much of this book helps people understand the Arabic situation today.
No writer has ever provided a better psychological analysis or been more clear and honest about his strengths and weaknesses than T.E. Lawrence himself. Read what he wrote before you read what others have written.
A number of good reviews of this book have already been written here so I won't repeat their commentary. Just let me say that to really understand this book, it does help to have a useful background about TEL and his life. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" represents only a couple of the early years in his adult life, yet those years strongly impact the rest of his life in many ways(approximately another 15 years). And, conversely, it's also true that the life he led after his Arabian adventure influenced the way he told the story of his experiences. The quickest way for readers to acquire this necessary background is to visit "TELawrence.net," a web site dedicated to placing all of T. E. Lawrence's writings online. The full text and publishing history of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and his other books, translations, and writings are there, as are approximately 700 of his letters, with many more to be added. It brings together in a searchable website all of T.E. Lawrence's published works and letters that went out of British copyright on 1 January 2006. In addition, UK copyright still covers writings by Lawrence that were first published after January 1, 1956. While the text of these writings cannot be posted, this site will tell you what they are, where to find them, and will identify them; each cite will include page references in the chronological and alphabetical contents lists. |
the deserts fondest stranger
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| Review Date: August 26, 2001 |
| Reviewer: Doug Anderson, Miami Beach, Florida United States |
| I recommend buying a map and locating the seven cities that are the seven pillars of wisdom before riding your camel through this highly rewarding terrain. T.E. Lawrence can write and write well is the magic discovery of this book. I recommend reading a biography first though. An excellent one written by Jeremy Wilson is a good start. Then read this. The biography will give you a good idea of what a complex figure Lawrence is from early days as archeologist and medieval fortification expert to being recruited for WW1 intelligence and usurping his superiors with his vast fields of knowledge, the biography will set the scene to truly enjoy this masterpiece of guerilla warfare. Those who are interested in the clash of cultures will enjoy Lawrence's way with the various Arab personalities which he must befriend and betray in due time. Lawrence's loyalties are none too sure in these perilous times and become all the more tenuous as the war nears its end. Poor Lawrence, his scholarly and energetic and wide minded ideals and impulses which win him friends in the Arab world are qualities which an older and more cynical culture merely uses to its own ends. Great great read. More stars are due. |
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