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Journal
of the T. E. Lawrence Society Vol. VII, No. 1, Autumn 1997 Edited by Philip Kerrigan Dr Malcolm Graham: 'The Oxford of T. E. Lawrence' (7-15) Malcolm
Graham is Head of Oxfordshire Studies at Oxfordshire County Council's
Department of Leisure and Arts. At the 1996 T.E. Lawrence Society Symposium he gave a paper
which we have now printed under the title of 'The Oxford of T. E.
Lawrence'. The author of a number of books including The Images of
Victorian Oxford, Dr Graham is well qualified to describe the Oxford of
Lawrence's boyhood. John Middleton Murry: 'Arabia Deserta' (17-24)
When
browsing among the shelves of second-hand bookshops, who has not had the
experience of alighting on the two large volumes of Doughty's Arabia
Deserta, and wondered whether to make a purchase or not? The true
collector will not hesitate, but for those of us whose sole intention in
buying a book is to read it, if not now, then at some future date, the
decision to buy is problematical. Having read the twelve pages of
Lawrence's introduction, is one going to have the stamina to tackle the
remaining 1,300 odd pages of prose in the 'Elizabethan style' ? In the
preface to the first edition, the author warns us that 'The book is not
milk for babes', and Middleton Murry in his essay (printed here) does
not leave the potential reader in any doubt as to the effort required to
follow Doughty through those two arduous years with the Bedouin. As
Lawrence wrote, 'it demands a hard reader'. Middleton Murry makes the point that Travels in Arabia Deserta 'is a great book for the simplest and most sufficient of reasons: it is a direct enlargement of human experience.' Also it provides a background that gives the reader a fuller appreciation of Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Perhaps his essay will encourage some waverers to venture past the introduction and immerse themselves in the remaining pages. Sir Ronald Storrs: 'The Spell of Arabia: Charles Doughty and T. E. Lawrence' (25-31)
From a series of talks entitled 'The Spell of Arabia', broadcast on the BBC's Third Programme in 1947, we have taken Sir Ronald Storrs' contribution, 'Charles Doughty and T. E. Lawrence'. Lawrence first made contact with Doughty early in 1909 when he sought advice for his forthcoming walking tour in Syria. Returning from Syria later in the year, he visited Doughty at Eastbourne to discuss his experiences and plans for a second tour. Lawrence's great interest in Doughty as a writer and traveller is evident; D. G. Hogarth wrote of Lawrence that 'he knows Arabia Deserta very nearly by heart.' In his talk Storrs compares Lawrence and Doughty, and in his memoirs, Orientations, he takes exception to those who criticise Lawrence's writing for building on the foundation of Doughty, 'If Lawrence lit his candle from Doughty's flame, was the candle any less his own?' Martin Young: 'Hubert Young at Carchemish' (33-46) Martin Young was in H. M. Foreign Service from 1948 to 1963. He learned Arabic at Shemian and went on to be Consul in Jerusalem and for the West Bank of the Jordan. His father, Major Sir Hubert Young, first met Lawrence at Carchemish in 1913 when Young was a Lieutenant in the Indian Army. He joined Lawrence during the Arab Revolt and subsequently worked with him at the Cairo Conference in 1920. We are fortunate in being able to publish here for the first time, not only his son's article on that first meeting, but photographs taken by Young at Carchemish. Baron Kress von Kressenstein: 'The Campaign in Palestine from the Enemy's Side' (47-59) Not a great deal has been available in English about the Turkish Army's operations in the Palestine Campaign. The article reprinted from the Royal United Services Institute Journal is attributed to Colonel Baron Kress von Kressenstein, an officer of the German military mission. Liddell Hart described him as 'the inspiration and brain of the Turks in Palestine for the first three years of the war.' Peter Metcalfe: 'A Note on T. E. Lawrence's Service Records' (60-67) Peter Metcalfe has unearthed some of Lawrence's service records which we have reproduced here. Robert Franks: 'Diaghilev of America and Lawrence of Arabia' (68-81) Lincoln Kirstein made his mark as an entrepreneur in the world of ballet in America. He also devoted his considerable energies to writing and, when visiting Europe, he had an entree into English literary circles. This led him to become a devotee of Lawrence.
Robert
Franks discusses the correspondence that passed between Kirstein and
Lawrence. Although they never met, Lawrence had a genuine desire to
see Kirstein and exchange views on creative writing with the 'Diaghilev
of America'. Previous: Contents of Vol. VI, No. 2 Next: Contents of Vol. VII, No. 2
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