Lawrence and the Arabs

Many details about T.E. Lawrence are well-known, but there is still some interesting information to be gleaned in Graves' book, published in 1928. Lawrence is best known for his role in helping the Arabs against the Ottoman Empire, the main subject of this work. Lawrence chose Emir Faisal, the son of Sharif Hussein, to lead the Arab Revolt. And it was Faisal who asked Lawrence to wear Arab costume because his men associated khaki with Turkish soldiers.

Graves' writing tends towards the dated style that is quite dry, but it is clear, without resorting to promotion of his friend, although he clearly thought highly of the very talented Lawrence. In fact, his friendship with Lawrence meant he was able to write more knowledgeably about him. show more A lot of the military manoeuvres were less interesting to me and at times difficult to follow, but necessary to understand events then and later. He was an exceptional strategist making him a hero with Arab forces and legend throughout the world.

There is an interesting section about Lawrence's life after the Arab Revolt when he joined the RAF, and his interest in motor cycles. There is no doubt that Lawrence had a magnetic personality. This section includes information about his work Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the shorter version Revolt in the Desert. The former, was written as a record of the Revolt, not meant for popular publication.

A snippet of information from another source reports that Lawrence gave a copy of Graves' book to his commanding officer, Sydney Smith. He had pencilled in over 30 amendments, and advised Smith with typical modesty "Do not take Graves' book as very true!". This copy sold for £7200 at auction in 2010. show less

I really wanted to like this book. It's about a fascinating character, written by one of my favorite authors--a personal friend of Lawrence's. And I did like parts: the beginning and the end when Graves talked about Lawrence's early life and his life after the WWI campaign with the Arabs. The middle sagged and I found myself skimming over the blow by blow descriptions of (it felt like) nearly every raid or battle that Lawrence engaged in with the Arab uprising. The writing and history were as dry as the desert setting with only an occasional oasis of passion or insight into the major players. I wanted to know what motivated and inspired Lawrence and his Arab friends and foes. What I got was narrative that sounded like it came from field show more reports. I like biography and read a lot of it. I think Graves' version of Lawrence's life suffers from his personal friendship. I felt he held back. show less

Good Book, His life ecompassed so much more than the movie, but then we should have known that to begin with.....