Bitter lemons

About this book

With the publication of Justine Lawrence Durrell became, almost overnight, one of the most talked about, widely acclaimed novelists of the decade. Now, in Bitter Lemons, his focus has shifted from the world of his imagination to life itself. Writing in the exquisite poetic prose that critics have hailed as unequalled in contemporary literature, he tells the perceptive, often humorous story of his experiences on the island of Cyprus -- first as a visitor, then as a householder and teacher and finally as Press Advisor to a government on the verge of revolution. Partly because of his ability to speak fluent Greek, but mainly because of his rare understanding of the people of Cyprus, Durrell found a ready welcome in the little village where he chose to settle. His portrayal of the warm, friendly people among whom he made his home is but one of this book's many delights. There are vivid pictures of the villages on their ways of life, the ancient edifices, the flowers, mountains and sea, the sunlight that gave the island its unique, peaceful quality. There are, too, hilarious descriptions of the problems of buying a house and teaching English in the local high school, where all the girls fell in love with Durrell and showered him with presents of roses, poems and even a special kind of meatball. Gradually, however, life on the sunny island was darkened by political turmoil which exploded into a revolution when Cypriots, crying for union with Greece, rose up against the British. Durrell movingly recounts the slow deterioration of the political situation and the part he tried to pl…

Themes & subjects

About the author

Lawrence Durrell

1912 – 1990

Lawrence George Durrell (Jalandhar, India, 27 February 1912-Sommières, France, 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. Durrell resisted being associated solely with the UK and preferred to be considered a cosmopolitan. His most famous work is *The Alexandria Quartet,* published between 1957 and 1960. The best-known novel in the series is the first, *Justine.* He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell.