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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
A terribly sad book with a few very funny sketches and some beautiful writing. At the end he observes of the occupation of Cyprus, "a tedious and thorny task which offered neither the hope for peace nor the honours of war." That sounds just like the aftermath of "mission accomplished" in Iraq. The Greeks of Cyprus loved the English as liberators. It took extraordinary blundering to turn that love to hate. There may be parallels here too.
emotional
informative
reflective
Beautifully, poetically written, with humour throughout. Durrell's autobiography of his time in 1950s Cyprus, during the era of EOKA and the struggle for independence from British rule. The author had an eye for detail and anecdotes.
informative
fast-paced
Interesting and speedy read all about Cyprus and the rising tensions there between brits Greeks and the Turkish. Super interesting.
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This memoir is a wonderfully evocative read detailing Durrell’s time spent in Cyprus from 1953-56. He arrives with the intention of buying a house in a village & living not as a British expat but as one of the community. He works as a teacher & subsequently as a press advisor. The writing is brilliant, describing the landscape, as well as his experiences & relationships with a whole myriad of characters who live & visit the island.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I went into this book skeptical and expecting the usual tired Orientalism that comes with British accounts of Cyprus. How could this possibly compare to the self-aware and scrupulous work of Sweet and Bitter Island by Tabitha Morgan? As a massive fan of the aforementioned, this book was surprisingly good as a companion piece.
Although, yes, there was certainly British colonial hubris and Orientalism (i.e. plenty of derogatory comments about Cypriot women), it's clear that Lawrence Durrell had a lot of reverence for the island and its people (he even spoke Greek!).
There were a lot of Easter eggs and insights into day-to-day life in the mid 20th century; featuring day-in-the-life interactions that are both resonant for today but also some that feel distinctly lost in time. Despite the book veering into self-indulgence and naturally being difficult for me to read towards the end as the troubles take hold, it was better than expected.
Although, yes, there was certainly British colonial hubris and Orientalism (i.e. plenty of derogatory comments about Cypriot women), it's clear that Lawrence Durrell had a lot of reverence for the island and its people (he even spoke Greek!).
There were a lot of Easter eggs and insights into day-to-day life in the mid 20th century; featuring day-in-the-life interactions that are both resonant for today but also some that feel distinctly lost in time. Despite the book veering into self-indulgence and naturally being difficult for me to read towards the end as the troubles take hold, it was better than expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War