The Young T. E. Lawrence [Hardcover]

T. E. Lawrence has always been one of the most enigmatic figures of the twentieth century, but he becomes markedly less so here. Through meticulous research and crackling prose, Sattin charts the youthful passions and influencesand not a few family and personal secretsthat helped create the future Lawrence of Arabia, and he has done so in an account so well-written that it is hard to put down. An absolutely indispensable read for anyone hoping to understand the evolution of one of the most beguiling and romantic figures of the modern age.I enjoyedAnthony Sattin knows a good story when he sees one. While most of Lawrence's biographers focus heavily on the war period, Sattin has grasped the importance of the years Lawrence spent in the Middle East beforehand, essential preparation for what followed. As a travel writer enlarging on the writings of a forerunner, Sattin also often enriches Lawrence's account. I thoroughly enjoyed the result.Sattins unique portrait reveals an itinerant scholar adventurously immersing himself in the history, peoples, and landscapes of the Near East, the chrysalis of the brilliant figure soon to emerge: Lawrence of Arabia.Sattin has written a compelling account of a young man learning to live according to his dreams.Anthony Sattin proves that the British know how to write a great adventure as well as how to have one. This highly readable book never lacks the big story but it also does not let that history lose the hero.Approaches the oft-profiled T.E. Lawrence from a new angle& engaging.Sattin paints a rich picture of these years in Lawrences life.[A] quirky but rigorous biographical study&biographers such as Mr. Sattin have to be diggers and restorers, sifting a mass of evidence and gluing the bits together.Passionate, informed& Anthony Sattin reached that place of grace in his research forAn intimate biography of the years that turnedT. E. Lawrence into Lawrence of Arabia.