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The Alexandria Quartet

The Alexandria Quartet

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-02 11:57:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lawrence Durrell
  • ISBN：0571283934
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Summary

Lawrence Durrell's series of four novels set in Alexandria， Egypt during the 1940s。 The lush and sensuous series consists of Justine（1957） Balthazar（1958） Mountolive（1958） Clea（1960）。
Justine， Balthazar and Mountolive use varied viewpoints to relate a series of events in Alexandria before World War II。 In Clea， the story continues into the years during the war。

One L。G。 Darley is the primary observer of the events， which include events in the lives of those he loves and those he knows。 In Justine， Darley attempts to recover from and put into perspective his recently ended affair with a woman。 Balthazar reinterprets the romantic perspective he placed on the affair and its aftermath in Justine， in more philosophical and intellectual terms。

Mountolive tells a story minus interpretation， and Clea reveals Darley's healing， and coming to love another woman。

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Reviews

Sheri Hopsy ，

Second attempt。 A very clever beautifully written work and I wonder was it one of the first books to look at the same incident in such a way from multiple perspectives。 Probably not。 Ted would know。 In this was I was reminded of Seven Types of Ambiguity by Perlman。 But。。。。 oh yes BUT， I don’t like the vacuous characters， not for 800 pages。 The scenes are amazing speaking of place so changed and often violently debauched， the lines from the Marques des Sade mesmerising but all that energy into in Second attempt。 A very clever beautifully written work and I wonder was it one of the first books to look at the same incident in such a way from multiple perspectives。 Probably not。 Ted would know。 In this was I was reminded of Seven Types of Ambiguity by Perlman。 But。。。。 oh yes BUT， I don’t like the vacuous characters， not for 800 pages。 The scenes are amazing speaking of place so changed and often violently debauched， the lines from the Marques des Sade mesmerising but all that energy into infatuation， desire and hot air when other things could be achieved。。。。。 。。。more

Jen S ，

A masterpiece！。。loved it

Liam Guilar ，

There is so much to dislike about these books。They are overwritten。 From the vocabulary which seems to have been needlessly dredged up from the dustiest reaches of a forgotten thesaurus to the set piece descriptions where nothing is on offer except the spectacle of a writer showing off。 The self centred， self important and slightly repulsive characters endlessly analyse themselves and others in 'conversations'， nagging at the meaning of love and life and art， at the nature of 'women' and 'men'， There is so much to dislike about these books。They are overwritten。 From the vocabulary which seems to have been needlessly dredged up from the dustiest reaches of a forgotten thesaurus to the set piece descriptions where nothing is on offer except the spectacle of a writer showing off。 The self centred， self important and slightly repulsive characters endlessly analyse themselves and others in 'conversations'， nagging at the meaning of love and life and art， at the nature of 'women' and 'men'， in page long monologues of sententious， portentous verbiage。There's also the spectacle of the writerly fantasy in which a man with no apparent qualities finds himself with a string of beautiful， passionate and mysterious women who almost literally throw themselves at him。 After 'Justine' and 'Balthazar'， the magic trick has been performed; there are many different ways of interpreting an action， or an event or personality。 For the remaining two books in the Quartet you wait， watching the magician repeating the same trick， wondering if the finale will be different。 How many possible reasons can there for Pursewarden's suicide？ Does it matter？ And why do his friends keep quoting his words as though they were memorable aphorisms when they obviously aren't？Ironically， all these faults are the books' strengths。 As a production the Quartet is compulsive reading， and at times Durrell's reaching for 'style' achieves impressive passages。And while the characters and their interactions are unrealistic， they don't have to be， even if one could agree on what 'realistic' is。 Nor does a story have to have a thumping plot line that marches towards a tidy conclusion， nor does a writer have to justify the inclusion of every event and speech and description。 Durrell wrote a fascinating book， and sometimes there's a distinct feeling that he's thumbing his nose at the reader's expectations of what a novel is and should be。 In the book the characters often go for a ride， in a wide range of vehicles。 Driving， being driven， sailing。 Perhaps the best way to think of the Quartet is that the reader is being taken for ride in so many different ways。 The only thing to do is settle in and enjoy the journey。 On to Avignon。。。 。。。more

Mckochan ，

Fantastic。

Brittany ，

what happens when Europeans go to Egypt。 a brilliant realization of passion， intrigue， friendship， espionage， comedy and pathos， in some of the most seductive prose in modern fiction

Marijana➹ ，

Aleksandrijski kvartet ne bih ubrojala u najbolje knjige koje sam pročitala （pre svega zato što mi je nedostajala ona žica koja bi me krajnje subjektivno povezala sa delom）， ali definitivno nikad nisam čitala ovako nešto i zato dajem najvišu ocenu。 Ipak sam se mesec dana družila sa likovima i bilo je nemoguće da se ne vežem za njih。 Da li je moglo da bude kraće i sa manje grandioznih pasusa i opisa？ Apsolutno， ali to onda ne bi bilo ovakvo delo kakvo jeste。Kvartet je kompleksno， sveobuhvatno del Aleksandrijski kvartet ne bih ubrojala u najbolje knjige koje sam pročitala （pre svega zato što mi je nedostajala ona žica koja bi me krajnje subjektivno povezala sa delom）， ali definitivno nikad nisam čitala ovako nešto i zato dajem najvišu ocenu。 Ipak sam se mesec dana družila sa likovima i bilo je nemoguće da se ne vežem za njih。 Da li je moglo da bude kraće i sa manje grandioznih pasusa i opisa？ Apsolutno， ali to onda ne bi bilo ovakvo delo kakvo jeste。Kvartet je kompleksno， sveobuhvatno delo， mistično， poetično， filozofsko， veoma psihološko。 Mislim da je pametan potez izdavača da spoji sve u jednu knjigu。 Na početku sam se mučila sa Justinom i nju sam najduže čitala， ali sa Baltazarom sam krenula da gutam （koliko je to moguće uraditi sa Darelovim slojevitim stilom， beskonačnim opisima i tumačenjima） i mislim da mi je druga knjiga najbolja。 Fenomenalan mi je bio momenat kada se naš nepouzdani narator iz Justine u Baltazaru suočava sa činjenicama koje su mu bile nepoznate i koje su bacile novo svetlo na likove i radnju。 U Mauntolivu， koji je bio malo više politički， čitalac saznaje dodatne konspiracije iza kulise。 I na kraju Klea （moj omiljeni lik）， završnica koja je na momente poput bezbrižnog leta， a na momente teška kao sparno popodne。Lorens Darel na neverovatan način pristupa istini i njenoj krhkosti， svim senkama ljudskih bića， najnižim i najvišim porivima。 Pre svega pristupa ljubavi iz svih uglova – strast， seks， zaljubljenost， idealizovanje， šta je to što nas privlači kod suprotnog ili istog pola， gde je granica našeg učitavanja， volimo li osobu ili sopstvenu ideju o njoj。。。 Kod njega ima dosta dekadencije， hirovitosti， ali i transformacije， iskupljenja。 On piše o životu jednog grada koji je život svih njegovih likova i to jako opipljivo; oseća se autobiografsko。 Neko reče da je u ovom slučaju delo veće od svojih tema i slažem se sa tim。Zbog važnosti topografskog， na momente sam se osećala kao da sam ponovo na Krfu， valjda i zbog te povezanosti porodice Darel sa tim ostrvom， a možda zato što je meni to mesto drago kao naratoru Aleksandrija i zato što tamo mogu da zamislim sebe uvek （vraćanje Krfu je poput nekog večnog vraćanja sebi）。 I za kraj jedna primedba svim izdavačima engleskog jezika -dokle će da pretpostavljaju da svi znamo francuski i da nam ne treba prevod random umetnutih rečenica na tom jeziku？ Postoje romani sa kliše izrazima i jednostavnim rečenicama koje mogu da razumem zahvaljujući poznavanju ostalih romanskih jezika， ali postoji i Aleksandrijski kvartet u kome je sve kompleksno， pa tako i francuski jezik。 。。。more

Japhy Ryder ，

This is one of the world's greatest writing experiences。 Led me to go live in the Middle East for myself。 Beware: will almost certainly lead you to fall in love with the homo-erotic historical poetry of C。P。 Cavafy。 This is one of the world's greatest writing experiences。 Led me to go live in the Middle East for myself。 Beware: will almost certainly lead you to fall in love with the homo-erotic historical poetry of C。P。 Cavafy。 。。。more

Jovana ，

Abandoning you。 I'm sorry。 Abandoning you。 I'm sorry。 。。。more

Jinjer ，

***Update: Bailed。***When I bought this Kindle， I thought these were the memoirs about the Durrell family。 Now that I've watched the amazing series， I know these are the fiction books written by the oldest brother， Larry。 I don't think they'll be my cup of tea， but I guess we'll find out some day， when I get around to attempting to read them。 ***Update: Bailed。***When I bought this Kindle， I thought these were the memoirs about the Durrell family。 Now that I've watched the amazing series， I know these are the fiction books written by the oldest brother， Larry。 I don't think they'll be my cup of tea， but I guess we'll find out some day， when I get around to attempting to read them。 。。。more

M。E。 Rostron ，

Only Shakespeare has written as well about love。

Susan ，

Each book remarkable， the author himself said these four are not so much a series as they are siblings。 Read them slowly and in sequence if you can。

chichikuss ，

pa， pošto može da se desi da mi čelindž padne za jednu knjigu， nagrađujem sebe i ovim， celokupno-kvartetskim logom， jer mislim da sam zaslužila， pozdrav。a i da imam najdužu knjigu od 800+ strana， baš mi se sviđa to。

Teresa ，

Los tres últimos libros mejor que el primero

Julia Titov ，

Strange book。 Not easy to read and understand。 Absolutely fell in love with crazy city of Alexandria。

Alma ，

Que viagem！"O mar está novamente agitado hoje， com rajadas de vento que despertam os sentidos。""E foi preciso vir até tão longe para compreender！ Vivendo neste promontório escalvado， onde todas as noites Arcturo vem disputar-me às trevas， longe da poeira e dos relentos calcários das tardes de verão; compreendo agora que nenhum de nós é responsável pelo que se passou。 É a cidade que deve ser julgada， embora seja sobre nós， os seus filhos， que recaia a punição。" Que viagem！"O mar está novamente agitado hoje， com rajadas de vento que despertam os sentidos。""E foi preciso vir até tão longe para compreender！ Vivendo neste promontório escalvado， onde todas as noites Arcturo vem disputar-me às trevas， longe da poeira e dos relentos calcários das tardes de verão; compreendo agora que nenhum de nós é responsável pelo que se passou。 É a cidade que deve ser julgada， embora seja sobre nós， os seus filhos， que recaia a punição。" 。。。more

Jdamaskinos ，

What a maximalism！ Myriad of characters， endless passion， complex human relationships， incest， adultery， homosexuality， cross-dressing， assassinations， suicide。 There is everything in these 4-in-1 books spread out in nearly a thousand pages！ The canvas is the pre- and during the war Alexandria。 A magical kaleidoscopic place， multinational and immensely diverse akin to a 'One thousand and one nights' scenery， a fairytale setting。 The characters are deeply thought or observed and psychoanalysed to What a maximalism！ Myriad of characters， endless passion， complex human relationships， incest， adultery， homosexuality， cross-dressing， assassinations， suicide。 There is everything in these 4-in-1 books spread out in nearly a thousand pages！ The canvas is the pre- and during the war Alexandria。 A magical kaleidoscopic place， multinational and immensely diverse akin to a 'One thousand and one nights' scenery， a fairytale setting。 The characters are deeply thought or observed and psychoanalysed to the extent that one is nearly convinced that they may be real。 Justine is a woman-Sphinx， woman and lioness， seduces， hypnotises and hurts men around her but at the same time she is proved to be so fragile and psychologically frail。 Pursewarden is a dark figure， a very talented author and philosopher of life who is 'tortured' by his personal demons; a so to speak male equivalent of a 'femme fatale'。 Nessim， on the other hand， is a handsome and attractive Copt nationalist， pretty much detached from his environment and fanatical to his idée fixe。 These three main characters are surrounded by many more and compose a busy and not infrequently surreal tableau。 The themes examined in these novels， I think， are mainly two: love with its various facets is ubiquitous throughout; after all Durrell himself characterised his work as 'an investigation of modern love'。 The other one is a question on what is real and what is not in life。 Durrell architects his material in a masterful way to mislead his readers to believe that what is in front of their eyes is real whilst is not。 Finally， one of the jewels in the crown of this piece of work is undoubtedly its language: succulent， extravagant， poetic， esoteric， flamboyant， ostentatious but so charming all in all！ Although， I personally prefer a more 'ascetic' style of writing， this work worths a reading by all means！ 。。。more

Carol ，

This collection of novels sits at the top of my best reads ever list。 I found them spell binding and loved getting caught up in the complex characters and their world。 I read them in the mid 1970s， Justine and Balthazar while on an extensive visit to Egypt， MountOlive and Clea as soon as I could get my hands on copies when I returned to London。 I've reread each several times since and often just dip into one or the other。 Justine is my favourite。 I'm still hoping for another in the series。。。 This collection of novels sits at the top of my best reads ever list。 I found them spell binding and loved getting caught up in the complex characters and their world。 I read them in the mid 1970s， Justine and Balthazar while on an extensive visit to Egypt， MountOlive and Clea as soon as I could get my hands on copies when I returned to London。 I've reread each several times since and often just dip into one or the other。 Justine is my favourite。 I'm still hoping for another in the series。。。 。。。more

Alexei Colisnicenco ，

For a non-native speaker， this book is a torture。 I started it twice and broke off twice after some 120 pages。 The vocabulary is way too rich and the phrases are so twisted that both Thomas Mann and Leo Tolstoy feel like a walk in the park。 So I cheated and binge-listened to an audio version read so masterfully that I was done after two days。 It’s a sheer pleasure。 Mountolive - the third volume - is probably the most intellectually satisfying， whereas Justine and Balthazar are messy， confusing， For a non-native speaker， this book is a torture。 I started it twice and broke off twice after some 120 pages。 The vocabulary is way too rich and the phrases are so twisted that both Thomas Mann and Leo Tolstoy feel like a walk in the park。 So I cheated and binge-listened to an audio version read so masterfully that I was done after two days。 It’s a sheer pleasure。 Mountolive - the third volume - is probably the most intellectually satisfying， whereas Justine and Balthazar are messy， confusing， fascinating and disgusting - just like Egypt itself。 Clea is a rushed attempt of reconciliation of the previous three， full of potentially excessive drama， but with a somewhat unexpected happy ending。 。。。more

Katrina ，

La reseña de hoy vale por cuatro， no reseño un libro sino una obra completa: «El cuarteto de Alejandría»， de Lawrence Durrell。 Esta obra la componen cuatro libros （Justine， Balthazar， Mountolive y Clea） y juega en otra liga， está en primerísima división de la literatura。 Muchos autores citan a Durrell y ahora lo comprendo， ¡cuántos fragmentos me gustaría recordar para siempre！Los tres primeros libros sitúan a los personajes en un mismo margen temporal， pero conforme vas leyendo un tomo tras otro La reseña de hoy vale por cuatro， no reseño un libro sino una obra completa: «El cuarteto de Alejandría»， de Lawrence Durrell。 Esta obra la componen cuatro libros （Justine， Balthazar， Mountolive y Clea） y juega en otra liga， está en primerísima división de la literatura。 Muchos autores citan a Durrell y ahora lo comprendo， ¡cuántos fragmentos me gustaría recordar para siempre！Los tres primeros libros sitúan a los personajes en un mismo margen temporal， pero conforme vas leyendo un tomo tras otro， te muestra distintas visiones de los hechos y otras facetas de los personajes。 Cuando por fin llega el cuarto y último tomo， Clea， que se desarrolla seis años después del resto， termina （？） de dibujarse la historia （pasada， presente y futura） y las relaciones existentes entre ellos。 Si algo define a esta obra es que parece que englobe casi todas las formas de amor imaginables y sus posibles transformaciones。Hay que enfrentarse al cuarteto con el espíritu sosegado， sin prisas。 No busques aquí un "thriller rápido con frases cortas y concisas" porque así no vas a conectar con Justine。 Si， por el contrario， quieres vivir Alejandría， dejarte embelesar y sorprender por textos poéticos， profundos y vitales y conocer a unos personajes absolutamente imperfectos （cuyas facetas vas a descubrir poco a poco）: este es tu libro。La única desventaja de admirar esta obra es que puede volverte más crítica respecto a otras。 No hay que dejarse arrastrar por ese impulso， para poder disfrutar más -en la vida en general- hay que evitar compararlo todo con las grandes obras。 Por eso existen los grandes y los pequeños placeres。 ¿Adivináis a qué categoría pertenece El cuarteto？"-¡Mira！ -exclamó-。 Cinco imágenes distintas del mismo sujeto。 Si yo fuera escritora trataría de conseguir una presentación multidimensional de los personajes， una especie de visión prismática。 ¿Por qué la gente no muestra más que un solo perfil a la vez？"Reseña completa y algunas curiosidades en https://denmeunpapelillo。net/el-cuart。。。 。。。more

Laura ，

I have tried three times to read this book and could not get through it。 I love literary fiction and books with deep character development。 But a book also need a plot and a storyline。 This book rambles on and on and on 。 。 。

Julie Mercer ，

Boring 。 I just couldn’t keep reading it。

Aaron Hernandez Farfan ，

Durrell es impresionante， una obra maestra。

Chris Rebel ，

Simply marvellous！ 5/5， 10/10， 100/100， you chose！

Suggestion_noted ，

（Note: Spoilers）I keep coming back to these books because the stories within are fascinating and they are beautifully written - but on a third reading I have to conclude they don't deserve any more than two stars。 There's something very depressing about being trapped in the worldview of a mid-century upper-class European， which is what all these characters are， even when they're ostensibly Egyptian。 It's an essentialising， reductive and rather depressed worldview， full of definitive statements a （Note: Spoilers）I keep coming back to these books because the stories within are fascinating and they are beautifully written - but on a third reading I have to conclude they don't deserve any more than two stars。 There's something very depressing about being trapped in the worldview of a mid-century upper-class European， which is what all these characters are， even when they're ostensibly Egyptian。 It's an essentialising， reductive and rather depressed worldview， full of definitive statements about what Certain People are like （women， non-white people， Jews， Muslims）， the only verification of which is the confidence which with they are delivered。 It's a style not unique to Durrell， and it's why books by mid-century English and American male writers can be so draining， even if they're good。 It's just such an incurious， reductive way of looking at the world。 All the gorgeous prose and philosophical insights on the world can't make up for the gaping hole at the heart of a story that wants to pretend that the majority population （Egyptian Muslim） of a city simply doesn't exist。 Over and over again Alexandria is portrayed as being Not Really Egyptian， with endless references to it looking "outward" to the sea and Europe， and being ennobled by its Hellenic history only。 The rare times that characters venture into the "Arab quarter" it is a kind of jaunt into the primitive and exotic， often featuring some kind of extreme or criminal behaviour。 I can't think of a single Egyptian Muslim character that isn't portrayed as either simple-minded and childlike， or cunning and cruel - stereotypes that were tired even in the late 1950s。 As an Irish person， it reminds me of the way the majority Catholic population were （and still are， in some quarters） talked about by many members of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy。 For them too， Irish nationalism and desire for independence was demeaned and ridiculed， and I recognise that same desire by an elite minority to expect the majority population to simply accept lesser status， and to presume that they are too childish and stupid to rule themselves。 I do understand that Ireland and Egypt are not the same， and that violence against minorities was and is a real problem that should not be excused。 But the Egyptian characters in the Alexandria Quartet （with the exception of Justine） do not come from anything like "ordinary" backgrounds - they are all wealthy， privileged and see themselves very much as "foreigners"， even if they were born and raised in the city。 From what I've read this was very much the milieu that Durrell moved in when he lived in Alexandria。 There's nothing wrong with writing a book from the point of view of this privileged minority， but it's unrepresentativeness is annoying。 The characters nearly all have superiority complexes about how they are "European" and "civilised"， unlike the bulk of the population of Egypt in general and Alexandria in particular。 There's one particularly cringey scene where Nessim and his brother meet some Arab horse-traders， and Nessim is so put off by them that he starts imagining Western art and music as some kind of "antidote"。 This is a character who is very much Egyptian， and yet because he is rich and a Christian he is imagined to have some kind fo revulsion to his fellow-countrymen。 I'm sure people like Nessim did and do exist （they certainly did and do in Ireland） but their conditioning to feel shame about their own country is a painful tragedy， not a sign of how "civilised" they are。 Waguih Ghali's 1968 novel "Beer in the Snooker Club"， from the point of view of a character similar in background to Nessim， is a much more realistic - and heartbreaking - evocation of what it means to be conditioned and warped by colonialism。 Speaking of Nessim， the core plot of the Quartet - that the Coptic community in 1930s Egypt are working on a secret plot to arm the early Zionists against the British in Mandate Palestine， in order to share a homeland in the Levant from which they can escape persecution - is completely unrealistic， especially for the period。 The Coptic community was largely opposed to the rise of Zionism - it even caused a rift in 1981 between the premier Anwar Sadat and the Coptic patriarch， who disapproved of Sadat reaching a treaty agreement with Israel in the late 70s。 The writer Mahmoud Manzaloui （who grew up in Alexandria） summarises the reasons for the plot's implausibility better than I could， his 1962 article can be read here。 Durrell always has Nessim and his family emphasising their superiority to the "native" population （as though they are not also Egyptians！） and that they are automatically entitled to hang on to wealth and power no matter what changes occur。 I am not denying that discrimination against Copts are other religious minorities was and is a problem in Egypt and other countries。 It's certainly plausible that a Coptic family at the time may have felt nervous about their status as Egypt became more independent。 But the landowner-banker millionaires Hosnanis are not exactly representative of the ordinary population， Coptic or otherwise。 Their grievances seem to be as much about their land being expropriated and them not having their "rightful" place as leaders of the country due to their innate superiority （yes， these are all things that Nessim and his mother say） as it is about fear for their safety。 It just seems like the Hosnanis are ventriquolising the rich people Durrell hung around with in the 1940s， and that he then imagined into an unrealistic and unsympathetic depiction of a Coptic family。 I know that there's a theory that Durrell was actually writing about the Jewish de Menasce family when he wrote the Hosnanis - although the de Menasces were also not exactly representative of ordinary Egyptian Jews， being extremely wealthy and aristocratic。 Justine herself， based on Eve Cohen （Durrell's second wife） is a more realistic example - her background is humble， she is knowledgable about and （somewhat） integrated into Arab Muslim Egypt （the scene where she tells stories to the child prostitutes is a moving example）， she sees herself as Egyptian but is gradually being othered and denied that nationality by oppressive elements in the Egyptian government。 It's plausible that she would take on Nessim's Zionist cause （even if it's not plausible that he would *have* that cause） because she has reason to believe she will not be safe in the 'new' Egypt。 And it's sadly very true that Egypt's Jewish community was badly treated， ostracised and even persecuted， blamed for the crimes of Israel and seen as an 'enemy within' before and during the Suez crisis。 （Again， Beer in the Snooker Club conveys this tragedy much better than the AQ does）。 I guess what I'm getting at is I resent the carelessness with which Durrell approached this complex history， I resent his automatic worship of the rich and powerful （unless they are Muslim）， his lack of knowledge of the complexities of Egyptian society， his colonialism and truly appalling racism。 The worst racism is， predictably， reserved for the handful of （silent） black characters that appear in the books。 Any time a black person appears you can be sure a metaphor comparing them to an animal is close behind， and the n-word is used as an adjective more than once。 Again， this counts as racist *even by the standards of the late 50s - early 60s*。 Beautiful as the writing is， I'm not sure if it's worth the sudden bombs of racism that keep appearing throughout the text。 As for the misogyny - well， it's of a piece with the kind of writer Durrell is。 I confess I'm almost desensitised to misogyny at this stage， it's part of the literary air that we breath unfortunately。 One good thing about the richness of the writing is that it allows me to imagine the female characters existing outside the male gaze， away from the machinations of the men。 A novel about the relationship between Justine and Clea would be interesting！ I suspect the way their relationship is portrayed from Darley's POV - where Clea's brief foray into a same-sex relationship was merely a sign of immaturity and victimisation by the nymphomaniac Justine， which Clea quickly recovers from so that she can tumble heterosexually into Darley's arms - is far from the full story， to say the least！I don't regret reading these books multiple times， and they have given me some lovely and memorable imagery， but I'm glad to put them to rest now。 。。。more

Ruthie ，

It is probably the most overblown， the most undisciplined work I have ever read。 At times it is wonderful and frequently it is utterly infuriating。 It is however going to stay with me forever。Exquisite unforgettable passages coexist with an often absurd and bombastic lexicon。 Such diverse echoes as TS Eliot and John Le Carre reverberate throughout。 Emotion blurs with intellect。 Travelogue， philosophical examination and romance blur and blend with political thriller。 There are also the undertones It is probably the most overblown， the most undisciplined work I have ever read。 At times it is wonderful and frequently it is utterly infuriating。 It is however going to stay with me forever。Exquisite unforgettable passages coexist with an often absurd and bombastic lexicon。 Such diverse echoes as TS Eliot and John Le Carre reverberate throughout。 Emotion blurs with intellect。 Travelogue， philosophical examination and romance blur and blend with political thriller。 There are also the undertones （overtones？） of the great British white male。 Impossible to ignore even within their historical context。 There is also a thoroughly absorbing plot with a vast and complex cast of fascinating characters。 I don't think i have ever read a book where i have skipped so much and simultaneously found passages to read and reread again。 It’s tough going but definitely worth the roller coaster ride。 It costs in time effort and patience but can be endlessly rewarding。 。。。more

Richard Brown ，

Just started Justine。 It is overblown， excessive etc， as many people below have pointed out， but Durrell can conjure a scene。 In this novel he describes a room full of child prostitutes where Justine is weilding a wine bottle but is holding it by the wrong end。 I hope to read all four books but I think this may be a series that is best read over a period with breaks rather than in a short burst。

Mike Bahl ，

I had to talk myself into putting this up。 I read so little of this book （these books？）。 A guy I work with loaned it to me because he said I’d like it。 When I read the jacket I was pretty doubtful; it’s set in wartime in Egypt， which doesn’t get me going at all。 I like stuff here and now and alive and present。 Then when I read the book I knew for sure。 Is this thing celebrated in some way？ Why？ Wikipedia says it’s supposed to cover the same events from different perspectives， Rashomon style， but I had to talk myself into putting this up。 I read so little of this book （these books？）。 A guy I work with loaned it to me because he said I’d like it。 When I read the jacket I was pretty doubtful; it’s set in wartime in Egypt， which doesn’t get me going at all。 I like stuff here and now and alive and present。 Then when I read the book I knew for sure。 Is this thing celebrated in some way？ Why？ Wikipedia says it’s supposed to cover the same events from different perspectives， Rashomon style， but it seemed like just garbled ass ramblings to me。 I’m really tired and kinda delusional right now so I’m going to be way harsher than I probably need to be， but my overall felling of this book was， “fuck this shit。”The introduction says readers are going to skip pieces of this book。 How would you even know what to skip？ And if the point is different perspectives on the same events， how can that be achieved if you don’t read all perspectives。“‘There are only three things to be done with a woman […]。 You can love her， suffer for her， or turn her into literature。'” These are all the same thing。“‘We live […] lives based upon selected fictions。 Our view of reality is conditioned upon space and time–not by our personalities as we like to think […]。'” I had to cut pieces to get a powerful quote， which was a big problem。 This shit was wordy as hell。 Look， obviously I like words。 That’s why I’m here。 But they should have a point。 I like food， too， but I don’t just pour tuna， sage， ranch dressing， sweet potato， beef wellington and Doritos in a bowl。 Words need to have a reason to exist or else they may as well be the blank space on a page。 。。。more

Jan ，

I quit。 I was curious about Lawrence Durrell after enjoying the series， "The Durrells of Corfu。" I didn't enjoy this。 I quit。 I was curious about Lawrence Durrell after enjoying the series， "The Durrells of Corfu。" I didn't enjoy this。 。。。more

Susan Gilpin ，

I had always wanted to read Durell’s masterpiece ever since I first heard of it back in the 60s， so when my book club took it on during quarantine， I was all in。 The first book， Justine， is supposedly the best， but I much preferred the third， Mountolive。 The volumes are all interconnected， with the same cast of characters and setting （Alexandria right before WWII）， but told from different points of view。 Durell said the theme was modern love， and certainly all varieties are described。 His writin I had always wanted to read Durell’s masterpiece ever since I first heard of it back in the 60s， so when my book club took it on during quarantine， I was all in。 The first book， Justine， is supposedly the best， but I much preferred the third， Mountolive。 The volumes are all interconnected， with the same cast of characters and setting （Alexandria right before WWII）， but told from different points of view。 Durell said the theme was modern love， and certainly all varieties are described。 His writing is gorgeous， vocabulary massive， and misogyny on full display。 What was acceptable in the 60s is no more。 I’m glad to have read the quartet， but would I tell you to go read it？ Probably not。 。。。more

João Sampaio ，

NÃO， ainda não li a totalidade das mais de 900 páginas。 Confuso。 Foi como me senti， percorrendo as primeiras 209 páginas deste Quarteto de Alexandria。 Senti uma enorme imaturidade literária （não sei sequer se isto fará sentido） ao ler este livro。 “Justine”， um dos pináculos da ficção inglesa， que retrata o amor。 O amor aqui apresentado nas mais variadas formas （apaixonado， platónico， atrofiado， não correspondido）。 Uma experiência de leitura…diferente！“Justine”， decorre em Alexandria， no Egito， u NÃO， ainda não li a totalidade das mais de 900 páginas。 Confuso。 Foi como me senti， percorrendo as primeiras 209 páginas deste Quarteto de Alexandria。 Senti uma enorme imaturidade literária （não sei sequer se isto fará sentido） ao ler este livro。 “Justine”， um dos pináculos da ficção inglesa， que retrata o amor。 O amor aqui apresentado nas mais variadas formas （apaixonado， platónico， atrofiado， não correspondido）。 Uma experiência de leitura…diferente！“Justine”， decorre em Alexandria， no Egito， um pouco antes da Segunda Guerra Mundial。Este primeiro romance deste Quarteto， começa intrigantemente com um narrador sem nome， que vive numa ilha também ela sem nome。 Nesse primeiro enquadramento， o narrador está com um filho que ele identifica como sendo filho de Melissa， uma ex-amante， entretanto falecida。 Nesse cenário algo sombrio， inconclusivo， diria até que “mutilado”， o narrador recorre e enquadra imagens de Alexandria e explora um círculo de indivíduos， ao qual ele pertencia。 Numa fase inicial， um círculo invulgar， onde apenas conhecia cada um de seus membros “apenas de vista”。As cenas vão-nos surgindo de modo desordenado， mudando frequentemente， as personagens são referenciadas casualmente e apenas “introduzidas” muito mais tarde。 O narrador identifica o tempo apenas no sentido mais vago （expressões como: uma vez， muito mais tarde， ele contou-me。… E eu as conheci muitos meses antes de nos conhecermos 。。。）。 Uma prosa， sem dúvida， com imensa qualidade， mas que foi para mim uma leitura sufocante， que teve algo de claustrofóbico （não consigo explicar por quê）。 Uma escrita onde as personagens （me） surgem como meras figuras， dando a sensação de um autor desprovido de emoção。 A generalidade das personagens são do tipo cosmopolita， com formação superior e com alguns traços em comum – deprimidos， desiludidos， infiéis e numa constante luta e discussão sobre Deus。 Um grupo estranho， frustrante， mas que definitivamente se compreende bem。O narrador surgiu-me como alguém apático e um verdadeiro fracasso nas relações públicas。 Justine， surge como alguém cercado pelos seus filósofos， cercada por medicamentos， garrafas， seringas。 No entanto， é retratada como uma mulher em que “…os homens soubessem imediatamente que se encontravam na presença de uma mulher a quem não podiam aplicar， para julgá-la， o mesmo critério que utilizavam com as outras。” Uma verdadeira self-made muse。 Uma personagem contraditória e com uma irritante e persistente necessidade de se desculpar， de justificar a sua conduta， de justificar os seus amantes。Justine， surge aqui com um evidente paralelismo com a cidade - "ambas têm um sabor forte， mas sem um carácter real。"Melissa surge como a antítese de Justine。 É delicada e carinhosa， sendo tratada com desdém。Depois， encarreiram-se uma série de personagens: - Nessim， marido dedicado de Justine， cuja consciência da sua infidelidade o envia lenta e dolorosamente até ao fundo do poço;- Pursewarden， um célebre autor de uma série de livros intitulados Deus é um humorista;- Balthazar， um professor filósofo;- Clea， uma artista e celibatária; - Mnemjian， um barbeiro anão e corcunda; - Pombal， um mulherengo francês; - Capodistria， mais um duende do que um homem……Um enredo com uma série de subtramas entrelaçadas e alguma ironia。A dada altura o narrador é recrutado para os Serviços Secretos， um camelo é massacrado e desmembrado na rua， homens morrem sós， algumas prostitutas são crianças， … Uma obra que abarca tanta coisa， tornou-se para mim assustador tentar ter uma leitura agradável。 Tentei， mas não consegui！Terminada esta primeira obra deste quarteto， sigo para a segunda （um dia destes。。。） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Alexandria Quartet

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Alexandria Quartet&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Alexandria Quartet&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0