Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph | T.E. Lawrence

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph | T.E. Lawrence | Lawrence's "rare adventure."

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Seven Pillars of W...

	Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph T.E. Lawrence Anchor, 1991 - 784 pages average customer review:based on 55 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Lawrence is back!!

Genral Abizaid quotes this book on a regular basis. The London Times (May 22, 2005) reports every American working as a liaison officer with the Arabs carries a copy of this book with them. This month's Army Magazine (online version, July, 2005) has an article called T.E. Lawrence and the Mind of an Insurgent. In it Genearl Giap (who whipped us in Viet Nam) is quoted as saying that Seven Pillars of Wisdom was his guerilla war bible, that he never went anywhere without it. My point is, T.E. Lawrence's well deserved reputation as a military genius has been fully restored after decades of angry revisionists taking out their frustration over the mess in the Middle East on Mr. Lawrence. This book is all things to all people. If you're looking for a vivid, intense description of war in the desert, this is where to go. If you want a damn good adventure story with well drawn characters, look no further. No better travel book has ever been written about the Middle East. Want to understand the Arab mind as well as a Westerner can? This is where to start. As a penetrating, revealing self analysis it has no equal. And, as General Giap and Abizaid have said, there is no better guide to guerilla war. This book is a masterpiece on every level and we should be so grateful we have it.

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Lawrence's "rare adventure."

"In these pages," T.E. Lawrence writes in the Introductory Chapter of SEVEN PILLARS, "the history is not of the Arab movement, but of me in it. It is a narrative of daily life, mean happenings, little people. Here are no lessons for the world, no disclosures to shock peoples. It is filled with trivial things, partly that no one mistake for history the bones from which some day a man may make history, and partly for the pleasure it gave me to recall the fellowship of the revolt. We were fond together, because of the sweep of the open places, the taste of wild winds, the sunlight, and the hopes in which we worked" (p. 24).

"He was a poet, and a scholar, and a mighty warrior," one of the characters in Sir David Lean's 1962 movie, "Lawrence of Arabia," said about Lawrence. Like many readers, it was Lean's movie that prompted me to read Lawrence's personal account of the Arab revolt. Lawrence (1888-1935) was a British soldier (although it is unlikely that he ever considered himself a real soldier) who unified Arab factions against the occupying Turks in 1916. Written after World War I (1914-18) in 1919, SEVEN PILLARS follows Lawrence's guerrilla adventure through "the naked desert, under the indifferent heaven" (p. 29) and over the course of 660 pages into Damascus, Syria in October, 1918.

SEVEN PILLARS triumphs as a book in several ways. It may be read as Lawrence's unique, first-hand, account (drawn from his war-time notes) of the historical events later depicted in Lean's film. As such, SEVEN PILLARS is fascinating memoir and a great soldier's story, demonstrating Lawrence's keen memory and intellect. It may be read also as a "rare adventure" through a hostile Arabian environment (p. 158). As such, SEVEN PILLARS reads like an entertaining adventure novel, revealing Lawrence's talents as a writer. Or, it may be read as an insightful psychological study of the Arab mind wanting to chart its own course through history. As such, it will satisfy any reader interested in understanding the ongoing Middle East conflict.

G. Merritt

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Excellent Narrative of Lawrence's Exploits!

In 1919 A.D., author T.E. Lawrence wrote out in a 400,000 word book "the whole bitter account of his adventure (in Arabia) and of his disappointment over the conclusion which the Peace Conference seemed to put to it." Lawrence left that manuscript replete with notes and many photographs in a handbag at the Reading railway station which was then stolen from that location. Lawrence tried to recount what he had wrote, but he never intended it for publication. Later, he had it printed on a newspaper press in Oxford, in an edition limited characteristically to eight copies, of which three, were afterward destroyed. The resulting book, "Revolt In The Desert," is the descendant in furtherance of Lawrence's re-written book, which he himself was never quite satisfied with. It stands as a purely personal record of his account in Arabia and is the foundation (albeit an abridged one) for which Lawrence wrote "Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph," currently under review.

Lawrence gave the title to this work as a tribute to an unpublished work of fiction about seven cities that he had intended the same name. "Wisdom hath builded a house: she hath hewn out her seven pillars." --Book of Proverbs (9th Chapter, 1st Verse).

Seven Pillars is an extraordinary book detailing the life of T.E. Lawrence during his exploits as an English Officer assigned to Cairo, Egypt. Lawrence became engaged in the role of a guerilla fighter, intent on fostering Arab unity while appearing to serve his military superiors. The target of his ire being, primarily, the Turkish army in occupation of a large part of the Middle East area which culminates in the liberation of Damascus. Lawrence was well known for harassing the Turkish occupation army and for destroying their rail lines and communications.

Lawrence, however, was wary of British Petroluem interests and was always aware of the Empire's colonial designs for the region.

The strange and still mysterious figure of T.E. Lawrence has become legend and has attained nearly cult icon status. Although somewhat different than that which was promoted by the 1962 David Lean movie "Lawrence of Arabia;" "Seven Pillars" is a fantastic first person account of an important part of English history which has has substantially affected the United States and the world.

Private by even today's standards, Lawrence did much to try to find anonymity upon his return to England, including enlisting in the RAF and Tank Corps under nom de guerres. Seven Pillars encompasses the extraordinary narrative of Lawrence's exploits and should occupy shelf space in every Anglophile and historian's library.

Without hesitation, unblushingly 5 stars.

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Excellent Perspective

I wanted something that was relevant to events in the Arab world in a context that I could understand. Aljazeera comes in English, it is plain enough to read, but I'm afraid I don't really understand it. I was looking for an understanding of the background of people native to Arab parts of the world with a focus on an audience that matched my demographic. What was it that lead up to this point? What things are familiar to these people? What things are taboo? What do they want? These are things I want to know.

Certainly most people have seen the movie. The movie is not why I read the book. I read it because it is a journal of an English man who was said to have "gone native" in the Arab world at a critical moment in its history. I felt I could relate to this man. To this end, the book illustrates the perspective very well.
I should not have been surprised that in the editions 600 or so pages that the story from the movie was a rather embellished minor episode in the book. There were many long treks across the desert in the book, not just one.

The book is very well illustrated. There are many drawings of people in the book. My only thought about the effort to include so many drawings is that there could have been a better map. Most of the book has to do with going from one place to another. It is a war story after all. I found myself looking for maps on Google.

My personal analysis is that the Arab history of this time places a fiercely independent people with strong family and tribal ties into a situation with the outside world lacking these benefits and encumberments. They did not appear to be nations as much as tribes and individuals. This thread at least still seems to be true to a degree. On the other hand, an outside man who was willing to adopt the dress, language and customs of the Arab world did quite well in securing trust and cooperation. It is clear to me that there is common ground. The Arab revolt during WWI was a struggle for freedom and recognition. Everyone wants that, so it makes a good story.

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