Lead Review (DH Lawrence in Italy)

• Book: D H Lawrence in Italy
• Location: Italy
• Author: Richard Owen

Review Author: tripfiction

“Italy was Lawrence’s true home, the Mediterranean his only sea, the gods of vine and olive the only ones that did not let him down” (Anthony Burgess)

The author has held a long interest in the life and times of D H Lawrence, and in this book he looks at the relationship the author had with Italy by “bringing the world of the Villa Bernarda, the Villa Maria, the Hotel Miramare and the Hotel Ligure back to life.”

Although DH Lawrence experienced a degree of ambivalence about Italy, his presence in the country sharpened his literary skills and creativity. He never really belonged anywhere, but Italy was perhaps the place he felt most at home. There is much detail about where he stayed and the relationship problems he had, all gleaned from the unpublished letters and diaries of Rina Secker, the Italian wife of Martin Secker, who was his publisher. In fact the book opens as Lawrence and his wife, Frieda set foot on Italian soil at Spotorno and are enthusiastically greeted by Rina.
There is a great deal of well researched detail that allows glimpses into the life and writing of this great author, the ill-health he suffered, the difficulties he encountered in many aspects of his life and the man behind the gifted pen.

Back to book