PROSPERO'S CELL and REFLECTIONS ON A MARINE VENUS

by Lawrence Durrell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 26, 1960

The magic quality of Durrell's Bitter Lemons, which made Cyprus live for many readers, can be found again- but in lesser quantity- in these two books, brought together in one delightful volume. The first is the diary- written in 1937- recording the stay in a fisherman's house of Durrell and his wife, and their discovery of the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea, of its history, its people, its past and present. Later- in April of 1941 in a war ravaged world, Durrell tried to forget the tragic ending of their stay and in the diary to recapture the beauty. The second book is chiefly Rhodes, at the end of the war, scarred and damaged almost beyond repair, but through the war wreckage, Durrell and his companions, with certain assignments but considerable freedom of motion, rediscovered the Rhodes of the classic myths and legends, the Rhodes of the Knights and the Crusades, the opening up of the Rhodes of yesterday and today. Excursions took them to other islands of the Aegean; their visit to Patmos and its famous monastery is particularly fascinating. And they explored all parts of Rhodes, Lindos, and the sharply contrasting villages and settlements of the island. Durrell's prose is rich and sensuous, he evokes the landscape and the essence of his beloved islands and fuses history and the atmosphere of this century in his text.

Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1960

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1960

Categories: NONFICTION