Mountolive
Encyclopedia
Mountolive, published in 1958
, is the third volume in the The Alexandria Quartet
series by British
author Lawrence Durrell
. Set in Alexandria
, Egypt
around World War II
, the four novels tell essentially the same story from different points of view and come to a conclusion in Clea. Mountolive is the only third person narrative in the series, and it is also the most overtly political.
According to biographer Ian MacNiven, Lawrence Durrell regarded Montolive as the clou, the nail holding together the entire structure of the Quartet. And Durrell gave to David Mountolive, his English ambassador, details from his own life: "Mountolive had been born in India, had left it at age eleven, had had an affair with a Yugoslav dancer. Mountolive had not seen his father again after leaving India, and this Larry joined to his own myth of abandonment, a myth he came absolutely to believe, that he had not seen his father after coming to England."
and Balthazar
. Mountolive retains Pursewarden as his chief political adviser. Mountolive then introduces a Copt
ic gunrunning plot in support of Zionism
. Many critics have ridiculed this as a ludicrous idea, but more recently scholars have demonstrated the intensely political and well-informed background for Durrell's notions. Pursewarden kills himself; Nessim is warned to act to curb his brother Narouz, whose subversive rhetoric has become dangerously extravagant.
The novel ends questioning the role that Narouz will play, referring to his whip and the unresolved political plot.
praised the long letter from Pursewarden to Mountolive (V), and the mourning of the Coptic women. Henry Miller
admired the description of the slaughter of the camels (V), and Gerald Sykes, the novelist and New York Times reviewer, found the fish drive (I) "in [Durrell's] best manner." Early reviews, following the publication date of 10 October 1958, contained contradictions. The TLS called it " possibly the most significant of the series". Pamela Hansford Johnson
in the New Statesman
praised the style but was critical of the absence of a 'moral and intellectual centre'. Time
praised the imagery and 'penetrant thought', but judged the novel the weakest of the series to date. In November 1958 Mountolive was an American Book of the Month selection , a selection that would guarantee Durrell $20000.
1958 in literature
The year 1958 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*August 18 - Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in United States.*First volume of The Civil War by Shelby Foote is published....
, is the third volume in the The Alexandria Quartet
The Alexandria Quartet
The Alexandria Quartet is a tetralogy of novels by British writer Lawrence Durrell, published between 1957 and 1960. A critical and commercial success, the books present four perspectives on a single set of events and characters in Alexandria, Egypt, before and during World War II.As Durrell...
series by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence George Durrell was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer, though he resisted affiliation with Britain and preferred to be considered cosmopolitan...
. Set in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
around World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the four novels tell essentially the same story from different points of view and come to a conclusion in Clea. Mountolive is the only third person narrative in the series, and it is also the most overtly political.
According to biographer Ian MacNiven, Lawrence Durrell regarded Montolive as the clou, the nail holding together the entire structure of the Quartet. And Durrell gave to David Mountolive, his English ambassador, details from his own life: "Mountolive had been born in India, had left it at age eleven, had had an affair with a Yugoslav dancer. Mountolive had not seen his father again after leaving India, and this Larry joined to his own myth of abandonment, a myth he came absolutely to believe, that he had not seen his father after coming to England."
Plot and Characterization
The novel's tensions begin with young David Mountolive on the Hosnani estate, where he has begun an affair with Leila Hosnani, mother of Nessim and Narouz. This leads to a recollection of Mountolive's maturation and career as a diplomat, a career which in time returns him to Egypt, leading up to the present day of the novel series, at which point Mountolive recontextualizes the materials that appeared previously in JustineJustine (novel)
Justine, published in 1957, is the first volume in Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet. Justine is one of four interlocking novels which each tell various aspects of a complex story of passion and deception from various points of view...
and Balthazar
Balthazar (novel)
Balthazar, published in 1958, is the second volume in the The Alexandria Quartet series by British author Lawrence Durrell. Set in Alexandria, Egypt around WWII, the four novels tell essentially the same story from different points of view and come to a conclusion in Clea...
. Mountolive retains Pursewarden as his chief political adviser. Mountolive then introduces a Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic gunrunning plot in support of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. Many critics have ridiculed this as a ludicrous idea, but more recently scholars have demonstrated the intensely political and well-informed background for Durrell's notions. Pursewarden kills himself; Nessim is warned to act to curb his brother Narouz, whose subversive rhetoric has become dangerously extravagant.
The novel ends questioning the role that Narouz will play, referring to his whip and the unresolved political plot.
Responses
Durrell had sent out proofs and carbons of Mountolive to a few people whose opinions he valued. Richard AldingtonRichard Aldington
Richard Aldington , born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet.Aldington was best known for his World War I poetry, the 1929 novel, Death of a Hero, and the controversy arising from his 1955 Lawrence of Arabia: A Biographical Inquiry...
praised the long letter from Pursewarden to Mountolive (V), and the mourning of the Coptic women. Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
admired the description of the slaughter of the camels (V), and Gerald Sykes, the novelist and New York Times reviewer, found the fish drive (I) "in [Durrell's] best manner." Early reviews, following the publication date of 10 October 1958, contained contradictions. The TLS called it " possibly the most significant of the series". Pamela Hansford Johnson
Pamela Hansford Johnson
Pamela Hansford Johnson, Baroness Snow was an English novelist, playwright, poet, literary and social critic.-Career:...
in the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
praised the style but was critical of the absence of a 'moral and intellectual centre'. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
praised the imagery and 'penetrant thought', but judged the novel the weakest of the series to date. In November 1958 Mountolive was an American Book of the Month selection , a selection that would guarantee Durrell $20000.
External links
- The International Lawrence Durrell Society Official website of ILDS
- Durrell 2012: The Lawrence Durrell Centenary Centenary event website and Durrell Journal
- The Durrell School of Corfu School dedicated to the works and lives Lawrence and Gerald Durrell