D. H. Lawrence: The Life of an Outsider

A portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most radical and misunderstood writers follows Lawrence from his awkward youth in Nottinghamshire, through his turbulent relationship with Frieda and the years of exile abroad, to his premature death at the age of 44.

Quoting extensively from rarely seen letters and drawing on a wealth of original research, John Worthen tells Lawrence’s story from the inside for the first following him from his awkward and intense youth in a Midlands colliery town; through his troubled and turbulent relationship with Frieda and his equally fiery friendships with figures such as Katherine Mansfield, Ottoline Morrell and Aldous through the years of exile abroad in Europe and New Mexico during which he produced his most vital and provocative writing; down to his premature death from tuberculosis in the South of France at the age of 44.

This biography offers a bold reappraisal of the man who, throughout his life, considered himself to be an outsider and whose place within literary and social history has remained challenging and changeable long after his death. What emerges is an intimate and absolutely compelling study of an individual in angry revolt against his class, culture and country, and engaged in a passionate struggle to live in accordance with his beliefs.