British · 1912–1990
Lawrence Durrell spent his life around the Mediterranean and made it his subject. Born in India to British parents, he settled in Corfu, then Egypt, then Cyprus, then Provence, always writing. "The Alexandria Quartet"—"Justine," "Balthazar," "Mountolive," "Clea"—tells the same story from four perspectives, layering perception until plot dissolves into texture. "Constance, or Solitary Practices" (1982) belongs to his later Avignon Quintet, more philosophical and less read. Durrell wrote poetry, travel books, and comic novels about the diplomatic life. His brother Gerald became a famous naturalist; Lawrence became a famous exile.