Alexandria Quartet (4-BOOK SET: BALTHAZAR, CLEA, MOUNTOLIVE, & JUSTINE) (original 1962; edition 1961)

by LAWRENCE DURRELL

Series: Alexandria Quartet (Omnibus 1-4)

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Member:	battlinjack
Title:	Alexandria Quartet (4-BOOK SET: BALTHAZAR, CLEA, MOUNTOLIVE, & JUSTINE)
Authors:	LAWRENCE DURRELL
Info:	E P DUTTON & CO (1961), Hardcover
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	Fiction, Classic

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The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (1962)

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I think this is where I gained an interest in urban planning. (

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dmarsh451 | Mar 31, 2013 |

Being a serial book-adulterer I have fallen into and wandered out of love with an amoral number of books - but I remain forever in thrall to the Alexandria Quartet.

Of course, I may change my mind in ten years. Let's just wait and see. (

)

Scribble.Orca | Mar 31, 2013 |

Fantastisk berättelse, i fyra böcker, om kärlek och relationer i det tidiga 1900-talets Alexandria. Skeendena skildras först genom berättarens begränsade synvinkel och sedan i de andra böckerna tillkommer andra vinklar. Vi får följa berättaren, Darley, hans stora kärlek den gåtfulla Justine, läkaren Balthazar, den unge diplomaten Mountolive, konstnären Clea och människor runt dessa i tiden runt Första världskriget. En romansvit att läsa om och läsa om. Min mamma berättade om den när jag satt på hennes sängkant (hon berättade ofta vad hon läste när jag gick in för att säga godnatt och ofta dröjde mig kvar ett slag). Jag läste den första gången när jag var tjugo och gick på Hemslöjdens skola Sätergläntan i Dalarna. Jag sov i en allmogesäng från 1800-talet i en timrad stuga och Alexandriakvartetten var precis vad jag behövde för att inte kvävas i allt hemvävt och tovat. Andra gången var min dotter Alice nyfödd och jag läste medan jag låg och ammade. Tredje gången var när jag läste Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap. Vid varje omläsning har något nytt hamnat på plats. Dags för omläsning. (

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LottaDB | Sep 9, 2012 |

One of my all-time favorite set of books. I still can feel the heat and mustiness of old Alexandria. A must read for everyone. (

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EctopicBrain | Jul 31, 2012 |

I have mixed feelings about this tetralogy. I definitely found that it got better as it progessed - I didn't particularly like Justine, but the other 3 novels were much better. The prose is frequently inspired, but at times I found the dialogue to be laboured, and the plot unbeliveably intertwined (for example, the revelation about Clea and Amaril).

Not a series that I will be re-reading, but I'm glad to have read it. (

)

cazfrancis | Jun 26, 2011 |

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Contains

Justine by Lawrence Durrell

Balthazar by Lawrence Durrell

Clea by Lawrence Durrell

Mountolive by Lawrence Durrell

Has as a commentary on the text

A Company of Readers : Uncollected Writings of W. H. Auden, Jacques Barzun, and Lionel Trilling from the Reader's Subscr by Arthur Krystal

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▾Common Knowledge

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Series (with order)

Alexandria Quartet (100|Omnibus 1-4)

Canonical title

The Alexandria Quartet

Original title

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the Alexandria Quartet

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Waterstones Books of the Century (1997, No 93)

The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Board's List (70)

Anthony Burgess: 99 Novels (1957)

Århundrets bibliotek

The Guardian's Text on the Beach: 50 Best Summer Reads Ever (2009)

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Epigraph

"JUSTINE" - I am accustoming myself to the idea of regarding every sexual act as a process in which four persons are involved. We shall have a lot to discuss about that. - S. Freud: Letters

"BALTHAZAR" - The mirror sees the man as beautiful, the mirror loves the man; another mirror sees the man as frightful and hates him; and it is always the same being who produces the impressions. - Justine (D.A.F. de Sade)

"MOUNTOLIVE" - The dream dissipated, were one to recover one's commonsense mood, the thing would be of but mediocre import -- 'tis the story of mental wrong-doing. Everyone knows very well and it offends no one. But alas! one sometimes carries the thing a little further. What, one dares wonder, what would not be the idea's realization if its mere abstract shape thus exalted has just so profoundly moved one? The accursed reverie is vivified and its existence is a crime. - Justine (D.A.F. DE SADE)

"CLEA" - The Primary and most beautiful of Nature's qualities is motion, which agitates her at all times, but this motion is simply the perpetual consequence of crimes, it is conserved by means of crimes alone. - (D. A. F. de Sade)

Dedication

"JUSTINE" - To Eve these memorials of her native city.

"BALTHAZAR" - To MY MOTHER these memorials of an unforgotten city

"MOUNTOLIVE" - A CLAUDE

"CLEA" - To MY FATHER

First words

The sea is high again today, with a thrilling flush of wind.

"BALTHAZAR" - Landscape-toes: brown to bronze, steep skyline, low cloud, pearl ground with shadowed oyster and violet reflections.

"MOUNTOLIVE" - As a junior of exceptional promise, he had been sent to Egypt for a year in order to improve his Arabic and found himself attached to the High Commission as a sort of scribe to await his first diplomatic posting; but he was already conducting himself as a young secretary of legation, fully aware of the responsibilities of future office.

"CLEA" - The oranges were more plentiful than usual that year.

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The Alexandria Quartet

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▾Library descriptions

Consisting of Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive and Clea, The Alexandria Quartet explores the sexual and political intrigues of a group of expatriates in Egypt before and after the Second World War.

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