The Seven Pillars of Wisdom - Lawrence

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a classic of world literature, designated by Winston Churchill as "one of the greatest books ever written in the English language." The work was written between 1919 and 1922 by the British archaeologist and military hero Thomas Edward Lawrence, who, thanks to his book, became globally known as Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence became a true hero for an entire generation for his role in the Arab Revolt against Turkish domination (1916-1918). The book, written shortly after this turbulent period, is a blend of war memoir, historical description, and reflection marked by self-critique. In some passages of the work, the author questions himself about his actions, his successes, and failures. The book has been a great success since its release. In 1962, the desert epic was brought to the cinema screens. Under the direction of David Lean, the film Lawrence of Arabia won seven Oscars and the acclaim of the American Film Institute as one of the top ten greatest films of all time.

Autorentext

Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as T.E. Lawrence, was born in Wales in 1888. He pursued his higher education at Oxford and always had a passion for history. For his undergraduate thesis, dedicated to the topic of the Crusades, he traveled to Syria to study the castles built there. Between 1910 and 1914, he served as an assistant on excavations carried out by the British Museum in Carchemish, on the Euphrates. Recruited by the Army at the beginning of World War I, in 1917 he was assigned to the Staff of the Expeditionary Force in the Hejaz, under the command of General Allenby. However, he had already distinguished himself in his role as a liaison officer with the Arab Army. He was part of the British Delegation at the Peace Conference in 1919 and, between 1921 and 1922, he served as an advisor on Arab Affairs in the Middle East Division of the Colonial Office. He died in 1935 in a motorcycle accident. T.E. Lawrence's masterpiece is "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom."