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merikimball's review against another edition
4.0
the insane thing is that this idiot can be a huge racist and absolute pompous twit and yet somehow also dismantle the entire white savior trope from the top down
owlishone's review against another edition
5.0
This is one I come back to over and over again, for the nature writing. Beyond this the text is incomprehensible at times, problematic at times. But I can’t give less than five stars to a thing of such breadth and magnitude. It’s spectacular, nourishing and unlike anything else I’ve read.
angelslayer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Seven Pillars of Wisdom is an autobiography of T. E. Lawrence's experience in the Arab Revolt during the First World War. Starting in late 1916 with a visit to Faisal, and ending in the capture of Damascus in September 1918. A slice of life diary, filled with insurgent military actions, detonating railways and bridges, an Arab struggle for independence and the relentless heat of the desert.
Lawrence, an unlikely military officer, was first an archaeologist. Working under the British Museum, he led excavations in the Middle East from 1910 to 1914, developing a love for the desert. The British Army, needing eyes in the region, recruited Lawrence, using the digs as a cover for military intelligence gathering.
After two years in Cairo doing intelligence work, Lawrence is sent on a mission in 1916 to the Hejaz, meeting Faisal, the future leader of the Arab rebellion against their Turkish occupants. The Turks are allied with the Germans, and thus the British and French become allies of the Arabs.
Lawrence writes in detail of his travels around Arabia, gathering local tribes of Bedouin nomads to cause havoc on the Turkish railway. He is largely sympathetic to the nationalist Arab cause, wishing for them to achieve independence. He worries that Britain and France will exert their imperial nature and carve up Arabia in a way that only leads to suffering. He's not a delegator, perhaps to a fault; he gets his hands dirty, he rides with his men and puts himself in harm's way with them.
Lawrence's prose can be beautiful, and he has a knack for describing complex topics in elegant ways. It is a slow read, many chapters can be summed up as "we rode across the desert for eighty miles", but rarely are things truly uneventful. He namedrops places and people frequently, and most of those names aren't important to remember long term. Don't get lost in the sauce trying to keep track of every detail. Not all chapters are equally interesting. Skimming encouraged, I'd say.
Lawrence goes through a lot. Two years of rough travel, nomadic lifestyle in a hostile environment. He regularly falls ill, ridden with dysentery, lice, flies. He drinks poisoned well water to continue with their military actions. He participates in numerous raids, detonating bridges in the night, laying mines to derail trains, active firefights to capture Turkish-occupied cities. He sustains combat wounds. He executes his own men, to resolve tribal disputes or to cease their suffering. He is tortured and sexually assaulted by Turks. He travels long paths through maddening heat waves in summer, and stinging blizzards in winter. He feels a fraud, a white man leading Arabs to a nationalist independence. He lies to his Arab comrades, hiding British imperialist greed. He lies to his British officers, omitting plans that may be considered "contrary to English/French interests in the region". On the final assault against Deraa in September 1918, the Turks rout and Lawrence orders some war crimes, taking no prisoners. By the end of it all, he is tired. Depressed. The feelings of fraud become omnipresent in his writing.
Behind the Bastards, a podcast, did a fantastic four-part episode on Lawrence (posted in Nov 2024), and indeed is the way I discovered this book. The podcast episodes are a fantastic companion, bringing much needed context and perspective (along with Robert Evan's excellent personality) to a long read. If you feel lost on the historical context or the military tactics, I'd recommend giving it a listen.
The book has many highlights. I cannot list every excerpt that tickles my brain, but here are a few. Among my favorite passages are his character descriptions for notable men he encounters. The personalities of the desert are vivid and varied.
Of Feisal, the wise and patient leader of the rebellion;
Lawrence, an unlikely military officer, was first an archaeologist. Working under the British Museum, he led excavations in the Middle East from 1910 to 1914, developing a love for the desert. The British Army, needing eyes in the region, recruited Lawrence, using the digs as a cover for military intelligence gathering.
After two years in Cairo doing intelligence work, Lawrence is sent on a mission in 1916 to the Hejaz, meeting Faisal, the future leader of the Arab rebellion against their Turkish occupants. The Turks are allied with the Germans, and thus the British and French become allies of the Arabs.
Lawrence writes in detail of his travels around Arabia, gathering local tribes of Bedouin nomads to cause havoc on the Turkish railway. He is largely sympathetic to the nationalist Arab cause, wishing for them to achieve independence. He worries that Britain and France will exert their imperial nature and carve up Arabia in a way that only leads to suffering. He's not a delegator, perhaps to a fault; he gets his hands dirty, he rides with his men and puts himself in harm's way with them.
Lawrence's prose can be beautiful, and he has a knack for describing complex topics in elegant ways. It is a slow read, many chapters can be summed up as "we rode across the desert for eighty miles", but rarely are things truly uneventful. He namedrops places and people frequently, and most of those names aren't important to remember long term. Don't get lost in the sauce trying to keep track of every detail. Not all chapters are equally interesting. Skimming encouraged, I'd say.
Lawrence goes through a lot. Two years of rough travel, nomadic lifestyle in a hostile environment. He regularly falls ill, ridden with dysentery, lice, flies. He drinks poisoned well water to continue with their military actions. He participates in numerous raids, detonating bridges in the night, laying mines to derail trains, active firefights to capture Turkish-occupied cities. He sustains combat wounds. He executes his own men, to resolve tribal disputes or to cease their suffering. He is tortured and sexually assaulted by Turks. He travels long paths through maddening heat waves in summer, and stinging blizzards in winter. He feels a fraud, a white man leading Arabs to a nationalist independence. He lies to his Arab comrades, hiding British imperialist greed. He lies to his British officers, omitting plans that may be considered "contrary to English/French interests in the region". On the final assault against Deraa in September 1918, the Turks rout and Lawrence orders some war crimes, taking no prisoners. By the end of it all, he is tired. Depressed. The feelings of fraud become omnipresent in his writing.
Behind the Bastards, a podcast, did a fantastic four-part episode on Lawrence (posted in Nov 2024), and indeed is the way I discovered this book. The podcast episodes are a fantastic companion, bringing much needed context and perspective (along with Robert Evan's excellent personality) to a long read. If you feel lost on the historical context or the military tactics, I'd recommend giving it a listen.
The book has many highlights. I cannot list every excerpt that tickles my brain, but here are a few. Among my favorite passages are his character descriptions for notable men he encounters. The personalities of the desert are vivid and varied.
Of Feisal, the wise and patient leader of the rebellion;
"So mixed was the company that I threw apples of discord, inflammatory subjects of talk amongst them, to sound their mettle and beliefs without delay. Feisal, smoking innumerable cigarettes, kept command of the conversation even at its hottest, and it was fine to watch him do it. He showed full mastery of tact, with a real power of disposing men's feelings to his wish... He was recognized as a force transcending tribe, superseding blood chiefs, greater than jealousies."
Of Abdulla, the lazy tyrant;
"Even his simplicity appeared false upon experience; and inherited religious prejudice was allowed rule over the keenness of his mind because it was less trouble to him than uncharted thought. His brain often betrayed its intricate pattern, disclosing idea twisted tightly over idea into a strong cord of design; and thus his indolence marred his scheming, too. The webs were constantly unravelling through his carelessness in leaving them unfinished."
Of Auda, the warrior so storied he is a living folk hero;
"His hospitality was sweeping; His generosity kept him always poor, despite the profits of a hundred raids. He had married twenty-eight times, had been wounded thirteen times... He himself had slain seventy-five men, Arabs, with his own hand in battle: and never a man except in battle. Of the number of dead Turks he could give no account: they did not enter the register."
Chapter 33, he falls deathly ill and has nothing to do but sweat, sleep, shit and think for eight days in his sick tent. He details the macro concepts for the insurgency, grand strategy, how different a desert force of nomads is compared to the trenches and artillery of the western front.
Attack infrastructure. Become phantoms in the desert. "Battles in Arabia were a mistake... We had nothing material to lose, so our best line was to defend nothing and to shoot nothing... A province would be won when we had taught the civilians in it to die for our ideal of freedom. The presence of the enemy was secondary."
And I'll leave with Chapter 83, my personal favorite. At this point late in the war, he is storied and awesome to his allies; infamous and terrible to his enemies. A high bounty is placed on his head by the Turks. He assembles a personal bodyguard, and contemplates the nature of toughness in the desert. A good summary of his relentless travel conditions.
"I needed hard riders and hard livers; men proud of themselves, and without family. By good fortune three or four of this sort joined me at the first, setting a tone and standard... Fellows were very proud of being in my bodyguard, which developed a professionalism almost flamboyant. They dressed like a bed of tulips, in every colour but white; for that was my constant wear, and they did not wish to presume. In half an hour they would make ready for a ride of six weeks, that being the limit for which food could be carried at the saddle-bow. They would travel day and night at my whim, and made it a point of honour never to mention fatigue. If a new man grumbled, the others would silence him, or change the current of his complaint, brutally.
"They fought like devils, when I wanted, and sometimes when I did not, especially with Turks or with outsiders... They expected extravagant reward and extravagant punishment... Events forced me to live up to my bodyguard, to become as hard, as sudden, as heedless. The odds against me were heavy, and the climate cogged the die. In the short winter I outdid them: in the heat they outdid me. In endurance there was less disparity. For years before the war I had made myself trim by constant carelessness. I had learned to eat much [at] one time, then go two, three, or four days without food: and after to overeat."
Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A revolt in the desert. A triumph.
april_does_feral_sometimes's review against another edition
5.0
'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' by Thomas Edward Lawrence is a memoir of observations about World War I by Lawrence who worked in Syria and Palestine - Arabia - from 1914 to 1918.
Lawrence is considered a hero by most, and in my opinion, deservedly so. Some critics think he inflated his part in some events; others believe subsequent publicity after the publication of his memoir (several versions were published) inflated his participation. None of this backseat whinging changes the fact being in a war is horrible, and Lawrence was definitely fighting in the Arab war against the Turkish Ottomans who were allies of the Germans.
Military men go without food and adequate shelter. They see and do appalling killings of men, women and children. They watch close friends as well as themselves endure terrible injuries without medical care for days. They live with days - months - of anxiety, not knowing when they will be in battle, or if they will survive the horrors of war, and not knowing how things will end in any campaign. They never know when they will be resupplied, or rescued if under attack or when they will be given new instructions to move somewhere unknown for reasons unknown by an unfamiliar officer with more rank. Lawrence experienced all of this. But he also had a lot of talent - in languages, in stamina, in willpower. From reading his book, he was self-directed, able to think for himself, and willing to take enormous risks with the lives of people for whom he was responsible. If he disagreed with a strategy, he organized opposition by going to disparate groups (hundreds of leaders of various Arab tribes, English/French/Indian commanders) who normally couldn't agree on anything and convinced them to work together for a different plan. He also often faked it until he made it - something he admits to frequently in his book. He made command decisions often without real authority other than what he pretended as an irregular British officer, and he admits to bonehead failures and surprising (sometimes to him) successes.
For us, gentle reader, the most important aspect of Lawrence's book is he was a damn good writer! However, the book, which is almost like a diary but with chapters and few dates, does not go into the Big Picture of the war in Arabia, so below I have copied from Wikipedia a timeline which clarifies the on-the-street coverage Lawrence does in his book:
Lawrence's most important contributions to the Arab Revolt were in the area of strategy and liaison with British armed forces, but he also participated personally in several military engagements:
3 January 1917: Attack on an Ottoman outpost in the Hejaz
26 March 1917: Attack on the railway at Aba el Naam
11 June 1917: Attack on a bridge at Ras Baalbek
2 July 1917: Defeat of the Ottoman forces at Aba el Lissan, an outpost of Aqaba
18 September 1917: Attack on the railway near Mudawara
27 September 1917: Attack on the railway, destroyed an engine
7 November 1917: Following a failed attack on the Yarmuk bridges, blew up a train on the railway between Dera'a and Amman, suffering several wounds in the explosion and ensuing combat
23 January 1918: The battle of Tafileh, a region southeast of the Dead Sea, with Arab regulars under the command of Jafar Pasha al-Askari; the battle was a defensive engagement that turned into an offensive rout and was described in the official history of the war as a "brilliant feat of arms". Lawrence was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership at Tafileh and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
March 1918: Attack on the railway near Aqaba
19 April 1918: Attack using British armoured cars on Tell Shahm
16 September 1918: Destruction of railway bridge between Amman and Dera'a
26 September 1918: Attack on retreating Ottomans and Germans near the village of Tafas; the Ottoman forces massacred the villagers and then Arab forces in return massacred their prisoners with Lawrence's encouragement.
Lawrence made a 300-mile personal journey northward in June 1917, on the way to Aqaba, visiting Ras Baalbek, the outskirts of Damascus, and Azraq, Jordan. He met Arab nationalists, counselling them to avoid revolt until the arrival of Faisal's forces, and he attacked a bridge to create the impression of guerrilla activity. His findings were regarded by the British as extremely valuable and there was serious consideration of awarding him a Victoria Cross; in the end, he was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath and promoted to Major.
Lawrence travelled regularly between British headquarters and Faisal, co-ordinating military action. But by early 1918, Faisal's chief British liaison was Colonel Pierce Charles Joyce, and Lawrence's time was chiefly devoted to raiding and intelligence-gathering. By the summer of 1918, the Turks were offering a substantial reward for Lawrence's capture, initially £5,000 and eventually £20,000 (approx $2.1 million in 2017 dollars or £1.5 million). One officer wrote in his notes: "Though a price of £15,000 has been put on his head by the Turks, no Arab has, as yet, attempted to betray him. The Sharif of Mecca has given him the status of one of his sons, and he is just the finely tempered steel that supports the whole structure of our influence in Arabia. He is a very inspiring gentleman adventurer."
The fact Lawrence had a price out on his head is enough proof for me Lawrence did certainly play an important part in the war!
Lawrence had first explored Arabia, from Wikipedia:
In 1910, Lawrence was offered the opportunity to become a practising archaeologist at Carchemish, in the expedition that D. G. Hogarth was setting up on behalf of the British Museum. Hogarth arranged a "Senior Demyship" (a form of scholarship) for Lawrence at Magdalen College, Oxford to fund his work at £100 a year. He sailed for Beirut in December 1910 and went to Jbail (Byblos), where he studied Arabic. He then went to work on the excavations at Carchemish, near Jerablus in northern Syria, where he worked under Hogarth, R. Campbell Thompson of the British Museum, and Leonard Woolley until 1914.
Then, when World War I was declared:
In January 1914, Woolley and Lawrence were co-opted by the British military as an archaeological smokescreen for a British military survey of the Negev Desert. They were funded by the Palestine Exploration Fund to search for an area referred to in the Bible as the Wilderness of Zin, and they made an archaeological survey of the Negev Desert along the way. The Negev was strategically important, as an Ottoman army attacking Egypt would have to cross it. Woolley and Lawrence subsequently published a report of the expedition's archaeological findings,[40] but a more important result was updated mapping of the area, with special attention to features of military relevance such as water sources. Lawrence also visited Aqaba and Shobek, not far from Petra.
Following the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Lawrence did not immediately enlist in the British Army. He held back until October on the advice of S. F. Newcombe, when he was commissioned on the General List. Before the end of the year, he was summoned by renowned archaeologist and historian Lt. Cmdr. David Hogarth, his mentor at Carchemish, to the new Arab Bureau intelligence unit in Cairo, and he arrived in Cairo on 15 December 1914. The Bureau's chief was General Gilbert Clayton who reported to Egyptian High Commissioner Henry McMahon.
In 1915 there was a new idea being talked about by the various leadership of the main tribes of non-Turkish Arabs. Arab leaders wondered if they could unite the hundreds of various small related desert tribes into individual countries, like Europe. The idea became an operative hope because of the war. Lawrence actively explored and promoted Arab freedom in the Arabian Kings' and princes' courts he visited within the Arabic-speaking Ottoman territories. Frankly, the Arab tribes were not the kind of people who enjoyed joining in anything, so these leaders were struggling not only with the Ottoman Turks and European powers, but with their own people. Lawrence was often acting unofficially on his own as an ambassador between Arab tribes, Arab princes, and his British overlords, as well as officially. He wrote of having bad headaches from this job of mediation between competitive tribes that he often assumed on his own initiative. Omg, MY own head hurt from reading about the petty and dangerous squabbles Lawrence dealt with constantly between leaders. And then there were the knife fights between individuals from different tribes in the field! It reminded me of a schoolyard monitor trying to keep neighborhood teenage gang members from shooting each other over petty insults and old grudges.
One of Lawrence's biggest disappointments after the war was the betrayal of the Arabs by the European war powers. They reneged on their promises to the Arab Kings to support their bid for creating Arab nations free from colonialism. He had made friends among the Arabs, and he felt like he had been put into the unwilling position of a Judas goat.
Besides describing the war missions of blowing up train tracks, bridges and of attacking Turkish camps, Lawrence describes Arab customs and ways of life in his memoir. He spoke fluent Arabic, so he was able to suss out what the tribes thought of each other and the British outsiders from an insider's viewpoint. He did not hesitate to live as Arabs did, eat as they did, dress as they did. Considering the harsh deserts (and rural poverty) they lived in, it was important he learned their ways to survive the huge swing of temperatures from summer to winter, the lack of water and available foodstuffs, the lack of roads, airports, navigable rivers, etc. He really had to learn how to ride and care for camels. He became an expert! But he really really pushed himself and the people assigned to follow him or be his guides into terrible environments that even the Arabs found daunting. There were awful bugs, and going without bathing for weeks and no food and water for days!
Because of a strong willfulness of character, he often went on these dangerous journeys alone looking for Turk encampments and good places to blow up, making maps. From many poetic descriptions of the land in his memoir I think he loved being in those isolated but beautiful rocky and sandy places with only a riding and a supply camel, no matter that he could meet Turkish soldiers or unfriendly Arabs. Because of the cultural individualism of Arab mentality, an Arab or tribe could switch allegiances because of perceived insults, whim or bribes. Lawrence navigated through all of the difficulties despite being a British foreigner.
Lawrence's parents were not married, but he was the second of five sons. He was born in Wales, but the family moved from there to Scotland and later England. As a bastard, he probably could never have married into a 'good' family. However, many of his friends believed him asexual. From reading his memoir, I think he may have been homosexual, but he definitely was not very active sexually, if so. I agree with many who think he was a masochist. There are reports he hired men to whip him after the war. I think these stories are true. He underwent unthinkable deprivations and sufferings in wartime service to his country, and he chose to serve in one of the most inhospitable places for humans to survive - Arabia. There is a famous incident of sexual torture and possible rape when he was captured by Turks while on a reconnaissance mission. He notes in this book "how in Deraa that night the citadel of my integrity had been irrevocably lost." In the chapters after this, Lawrence is noticeably less interested and very tired of the job he had been doing, mentioning more and more often he wanted to go home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence
"I loved you, so I drew these tides of
Men into my hands
And wrote my will across the
Sky in stars
To earn you freedom, the seven
Pillared worthy house,
That your eyes might be
Shining for me
When I came
Death seemed my servant on the
Road, 'til we were near
And saw you waiting:
When you smiled and in sorrowful
Envy he outran me
And took you apart:
Into his quietness
Love, the way-weary, groped to your body,
Our brief wage
Ours for the moment
Before Earth's soft hand explored your shape
And the blind
Worms grew fat upon
Your substance
Men prayed me that I set our work,
The inviolate house,
As a memory of you
But for fit monument I shattered it,
Unfinished: and now
The little things creep out to patch
Themselves hovels
In the marred shadow
Of your gift."
-T. E. Lawrence
There are maps, appendixes of soldiers and their companies, tables of positions and movements, and indexes of places and people.
Lawrence is considered a hero by most, and in my opinion, deservedly so. Some critics think he inflated his part in some events; others believe subsequent publicity after the publication of his memoir (several versions were published) inflated his participation. None of this backseat whinging changes the fact being in a war is horrible, and Lawrence was definitely fighting in the Arab war against the Turkish Ottomans who were allies of the Germans.
Military men go without food and adequate shelter. They see and do appalling killings of men, women and children. They watch close friends as well as themselves endure terrible injuries without medical care for days. They live with days - months - of anxiety, not knowing when they will be in battle, or if they will survive the horrors of war, and not knowing how things will end in any campaign. They never know when they will be resupplied, or rescued if under attack or when they will be given new instructions to move somewhere unknown for reasons unknown by an unfamiliar officer with more rank. Lawrence experienced all of this. But he also had a lot of talent - in languages, in stamina, in willpower. From reading his book, he was self-directed, able to think for himself, and willing to take enormous risks with the lives of people for whom he was responsible. If he disagreed with a strategy, he organized opposition by going to disparate groups (hundreds of leaders of various Arab tribes, English/French/Indian commanders) who normally couldn't agree on anything and convinced them to work together for a different plan. He also often faked it until he made it - something he admits to frequently in his book. He made command decisions often without real authority other than what he pretended as an irregular British officer, and he admits to bonehead failures and surprising (sometimes to him) successes.
For us, gentle reader, the most important aspect of Lawrence's book is he was a damn good writer! However, the book, which is almost like a diary but with chapters and few dates, does not go into the Big Picture of the war in Arabia, so below I have copied from Wikipedia a timeline which clarifies the on-the-street coverage Lawrence does in his book:
Lawrence's most important contributions to the Arab Revolt were in the area of strategy and liaison with British armed forces, but he also participated personally in several military engagements:
3 January 1917: Attack on an Ottoman outpost in the Hejaz
26 March 1917: Attack on the railway at Aba el Naam
11 June 1917: Attack on a bridge at Ras Baalbek
2 July 1917: Defeat of the Ottoman forces at Aba el Lissan, an outpost of Aqaba
18 September 1917: Attack on the railway near Mudawara
27 September 1917: Attack on the railway, destroyed an engine
7 November 1917: Following a failed attack on the Yarmuk bridges, blew up a train on the railway between Dera'a and Amman, suffering several wounds in the explosion and ensuing combat
23 January 1918: The battle of Tafileh, a region southeast of the Dead Sea, with Arab regulars under the command of Jafar Pasha al-Askari; the battle was a defensive engagement that turned into an offensive rout and was described in the official history of the war as a "brilliant feat of arms". Lawrence was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership at Tafileh and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
March 1918: Attack on the railway near Aqaba
19 April 1918: Attack using British armoured cars on Tell Shahm
16 September 1918: Destruction of railway bridge between Amman and Dera'a
26 September 1918: Attack on retreating Ottomans and Germans near the village of Tafas; the Ottoman forces massacred the villagers and then Arab forces in return massacred their prisoners with Lawrence's encouragement.
Lawrence made a 300-mile personal journey northward in June 1917, on the way to Aqaba, visiting Ras Baalbek, the outskirts of Damascus, and Azraq, Jordan. He met Arab nationalists, counselling them to avoid revolt until the arrival of Faisal's forces, and he attacked a bridge to create the impression of guerrilla activity. His findings were regarded by the British as extremely valuable and there was serious consideration of awarding him a Victoria Cross; in the end, he was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath and promoted to Major.
Lawrence travelled regularly between British headquarters and Faisal, co-ordinating military action. But by early 1918, Faisal's chief British liaison was Colonel Pierce Charles Joyce, and Lawrence's time was chiefly devoted to raiding and intelligence-gathering. By the summer of 1918, the Turks were offering a substantial reward for Lawrence's capture, initially £5,000 and eventually £20,000 (approx $2.1 million in 2017 dollars or £1.5 million). One officer wrote in his notes: "Though a price of £15,000 has been put on his head by the Turks, no Arab has, as yet, attempted to betray him. The Sharif of Mecca has given him the status of one of his sons, and he is just the finely tempered steel that supports the whole structure of our influence in Arabia. He is a very inspiring gentleman adventurer."
The fact Lawrence had a price out on his head is enough proof for me Lawrence did certainly play an important part in the war!
Lawrence had first explored Arabia, from Wikipedia:
In 1910, Lawrence was offered the opportunity to become a practising archaeologist at Carchemish, in the expedition that D. G. Hogarth was setting up on behalf of the British Museum. Hogarth arranged a "Senior Demyship" (a form of scholarship) for Lawrence at Magdalen College, Oxford to fund his work at £100 a year. He sailed for Beirut in December 1910 and went to Jbail (Byblos), where he studied Arabic. He then went to work on the excavations at Carchemish, near Jerablus in northern Syria, where he worked under Hogarth, R. Campbell Thompson of the British Museum, and Leonard Woolley until 1914.
Then, when World War I was declared:
In January 1914, Woolley and Lawrence were co-opted by the British military as an archaeological smokescreen for a British military survey of the Negev Desert. They were funded by the Palestine Exploration Fund to search for an area referred to in the Bible as the Wilderness of Zin, and they made an archaeological survey of the Negev Desert along the way. The Negev was strategically important, as an Ottoman army attacking Egypt would have to cross it. Woolley and Lawrence subsequently published a report of the expedition's archaeological findings,[40] but a more important result was updated mapping of the area, with special attention to features of military relevance such as water sources. Lawrence also visited Aqaba and Shobek, not far from Petra.
Following the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Lawrence did not immediately enlist in the British Army. He held back until October on the advice of S. F. Newcombe, when he was commissioned on the General List. Before the end of the year, he was summoned by renowned archaeologist and historian Lt. Cmdr. David Hogarth, his mentor at Carchemish, to the new Arab Bureau intelligence unit in Cairo, and he arrived in Cairo on 15 December 1914. The Bureau's chief was General Gilbert Clayton who reported to Egyptian High Commissioner Henry McMahon.
In 1915 there was a new idea being talked about by the various leadership of the main tribes of non-Turkish Arabs. Arab leaders wondered if they could unite the hundreds of various small related desert tribes into individual countries, like Europe. The idea became an operative hope because of the war. Lawrence actively explored and promoted Arab freedom in the Arabian Kings' and princes' courts he visited within the Arabic-speaking Ottoman territories. Frankly, the Arab tribes were not the kind of people who enjoyed joining in anything, so these leaders were struggling not only with the Ottoman Turks and European powers, but with their own people. Lawrence was often acting unofficially on his own as an ambassador between Arab tribes, Arab princes, and his British overlords, as well as officially. He wrote of having bad headaches from this job of mediation between competitive tribes that he often assumed on his own initiative. Omg, MY own head hurt from reading about the petty and dangerous squabbles Lawrence dealt with constantly between leaders. And then there were the knife fights between individuals from different tribes in the field! It reminded me of a schoolyard monitor trying to keep neighborhood teenage gang members from shooting each other over petty insults and old grudges.
One of Lawrence's biggest disappointments after the war was the betrayal of the Arabs by the European war powers. They reneged on their promises to the Arab Kings to support their bid for creating Arab nations free from colonialism. He had made friends among the Arabs, and he felt like he had been put into the unwilling position of a Judas goat.
Besides describing the war missions of blowing up train tracks, bridges and of attacking Turkish camps, Lawrence describes Arab customs and ways of life in his memoir. He spoke fluent Arabic, so he was able to suss out what the tribes thought of each other and the British outsiders from an insider's viewpoint. He did not hesitate to live as Arabs did, eat as they did, dress as they did. Considering the harsh deserts (and rural poverty) they lived in, it was important he learned their ways to survive the huge swing of temperatures from summer to winter, the lack of water and available foodstuffs, the lack of roads, airports, navigable rivers, etc. He really had to learn how to ride and care for camels. He became an expert! But he really really pushed himself and the people assigned to follow him or be his guides into terrible environments that even the Arabs found daunting. There were awful bugs, and going without bathing for weeks and no food and water for days!
Because of a strong willfulness of character, he often went on these dangerous journeys alone looking for Turk encampments and good places to blow up, making maps. From many poetic descriptions of the land in his memoir I think he loved being in those isolated but beautiful rocky and sandy places with only a riding and a supply camel, no matter that he could meet Turkish soldiers or unfriendly Arabs. Because of the cultural individualism of Arab mentality, an Arab or tribe could switch allegiances because of perceived insults, whim or bribes. Lawrence navigated through all of the difficulties despite being a British foreigner.
Lawrence's parents were not married, but he was the second of five sons. He was born in Wales, but the family moved from there to Scotland and later England. As a bastard, he probably could never have married into a 'good' family. However, many of his friends believed him asexual. From reading his memoir, I think he may have been homosexual, but he definitely was not very active sexually, if so. I agree with many who think he was a masochist. There are reports he hired men to whip him after the war. I think these stories are true. He underwent unthinkable deprivations and sufferings in wartime service to his country, and he chose to serve in one of the most inhospitable places for humans to survive - Arabia. There is a famous incident of sexual torture and possible rape when he was captured by Turks while on a reconnaissance mission. He notes in this book "how in Deraa that night the citadel of my integrity had been irrevocably lost." In the chapters after this, Lawrence is noticeably less interested and very tired of the job he had been doing, mentioning more and more often he wanted to go home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence
"I loved you, so I drew these tides of
Men into my hands
And wrote my will across the
Sky in stars
To earn you freedom, the seven
Pillared worthy house,
That your eyes might be
Shining for me
When I came
Death seemed my servant on the
Road, 'til we were near
And saw you waiting:
When you smiled and in sorrowful
Envy he outran me
And took you apart:
Into his quietness
Love, the way-weary, groped to your body,
Our brief wage
Ours for the moment
Before Earth's soft hand explored your shape
And the blind
Worms grew fat upon
Your substance
Men prayed me that I set our work,
The inviolate house,
As a memory of you
But for fit monument I shattered it,
Unfinished: and now
The little things creep out to patch
Themselves hovels
In the marred shadow
Of your gift."
-T. E. Lawrence
There are maps, appendixes of soldiers and their companies, tables of positions and movements, and indexes of places and people.
kmardahl's review against another edition
4.0
(I have 2 copies of the book! I am listening to an Audible audiobook, however. I started the book 10 years ago, but got sidetracked. I am using the audiobook to get back on track.)
There are scenes described in this book that should not be reading before or while eating.
I am disappointed in the abridged version of the book that I got from Audible. However, listening to it did motivate me to pick up my printed copy again to fill in the missing details.
It was sometimes hard to remember all the names he mentions, especially because I was commuting while listening and could often be distracted by the need to switch trains, etc. However, I definitely got the gist of what was happening. I thought the writing quite poetic and moving at times. This is definitely Lawrence's point of view, and I know his original manuscript was lost and he had to re-write from memory. I like the personal, passionate, and personal point of view. I think that there is much to consider about different cultures and imperialism, etc. It is definitely worth a read in today's world.
There are scenes described in this book that should not be reading before or while eating.
I am disappointed in the abridged version of the book that I got from Audible. However, listening to it did motivate me to pick up my printed copy again to fill in the missing details.
It was sometimes hard to remember all the names he mentions, especially because I was commuting while listening and could often be distracted by the need to switch trains, etc. However, I definitely got the gist of what was happening. I thought the writing quite poetic and moving at times. This is definitely Lawrence's point of view, and I know his original manuscript was lost and he had to re-write from memory. I like the personal, passionate, and personal point of view. I think that there is much to consider about different cultures and imperialism, etc. It is definitely worth a read in today's world.
tgnewman's review against another edition
3.0
General Overview
A heavy and full study of the Arabic Revolt, this journal of T.E. Lawrence is an interesting read.
Style
Written for his point of view, the author does a great job providing a factual overview of the campaign. This is achieved whilst also keeping this a thoroughly human story, and not a dry historical text. The mix speaks to the authors ability, and even to the duality he faces in the events he finds himself in. On the one hand doing all he can to support the Arabs, and on the other, hating the cold reality of British deception if his mission is a success.
Substance
Covering from the beginning to the end of the Arabic revolt against the Ottoman Turks during WWI, Seven Pillars of Wisdom tells the story of this campaign from the point of view of T.E. Lawrence. It provides a delightful insight into the people of the campaign, and world views of the time.
The content also covers examples of truly modern guerrilla warfare, and Lawrence's expert knowledge of how best to conduct it. Indeed, many modern nations could learn a lot from what is covered here.
Final Thoughts
A detailed look into the life of one of the most interesting British Army Officers.
A heavy and full study of the Arabic Revolt, this journal of T.E. Lawrence is an interesting read.
Style
Written for his point of view, the author does a great job providing a factual overview of the campaign. This is achieved whilst also keeping this a thoroughly human story, and not a dry historical text. The mix speaks to the authors ability, and even to the duality he faces in the events he finds himself in. On the one hand doing all he can to support the Arabs, and on the other, hating the cold reality of British deception if his mission is a success.
Substance
Covering from the beginning to the end of the Arabic revolt against the Ottoman Turks during WWI, Seven Pillars of Wisdom tells the story of this campaign from the point of view of T.E. Lawrence. It provides a delightful insight into the people of the campaign, and world views of the time.
The content also covers examples of truly modern guerrilla warfare, and Lawrence's expert knowledge of how best to conduct it. Indeed, many modern nations could learn a lot from what is covered here.
Final Thoughts
A detailed look into the life of one of the most interesting British Army Officers.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
“Your good and my good, perhaps they are different, and either forced good or forced evil will make a people cry with pain. Does the ore admire the flame which transforms it?”
I finished this book and completely forgot about reviewing it! Which doesn't happen to me often. Gosh, this was a long one. And I mean, I've read way longer books than this, but this actually FELT really long. I was musing about it, about why this particularly felt so long and a little painful in parts, when I was sure that I would enjoy it. I've read and enjoyed non-fiction books about war before, and I don't mind dry-ish historical fiction. I was prepared for all the racism, intentional and unintentional both. But I think ultimately what made this kind of a slog for me was all the technical details and minutiae and the intricacies about war itself. I just wasn't very interested! T.E. Lawrence's writing is genuinely flat out beautiful, and I loved the bits where he talked about interpersonal relationships, cultural things he learned, some things about travel, his feelings about his own duplicity/complicity, and just any time we got insight into the man himself. He isn't as mired in the conservatism of the era, and some of his views were a pleasant surprise. He also had other views that were just racism dressed up as kindness/concern, but that was expected. It was also really interesting how he talked about his body, how he viewed it, how he was often repulsed by touch.
But yeah, the war/revolt itself was a little hard to get through. Like, it was interesting reading about how it came about, the goals of the Arabs and the different tribes, but having Lawrence take us through it step by step was not as engrossing as I'd have hoped. It was... a little boring! There were a few descriptions of battle/skirmishes that were interesting, but I can't really remember them/differentiate from all the others. It was also insightful to get a look at how warfare was carried out in the desert, but it was mostly such a slog. Sooooooo much travel time, sooooooooo many characters that I couldn't keep straight, soooooooooooooo much minutiae about things that I instantly forgot. We got some personal connection, but I needed ten times as much, because this really didn't capture my attention.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Roy McMillan, which was pretty good. Because of my wandering attention, I kept having to rewind and relisten to different sections, but that was the fault of the book, rather than the narrator. This is a historic figure I've always wanted to read about, and there was enough good in this book that I'm glad to have had the experience. I just wanted a bit more from it.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
war, death, descriptions of illness and grievous injury, beatings, torture, sexual assaultbelwerks's review against another edition
3.0
This has been on my list for a while, but the page count and potential for dryness was daunting. Despite this, I quite enjoyed the book. Lawrence's rich and detailed descriptions helped convey his (historically adjusted) respect for the people and thrill of the entire campaign. The clunky British snobbery and looking-down-upon bits were not as painful as I was expecting, and he came off as very respectful and eager to learn - especially for his time.
I listened to this as an audiobook on a couple of weeks' worth of runs, so I believe the 30-45 minutes of immersion each time greatly helped my experience of it. The vividly described banquet scene lead me to cut a run short due to hunger, while I would normally push through!
I listened to this as an audiobook on a couple of weeks' worth of runs, so I believe the 30-45 minutes of immersion each time greatly helped my experience of it. The vividly described banquet scene lead me to cut a run short due to hunger, while I would normally push through!
sassyjax's review against another edition
This is a narrative of a British officer sent to help with the Arab uprising during WWII. I am not a fan of straight war narratives. I think I'm more interested in the man that war strategies and such, so I'll pick up an biography since he does seem to be well educated in the middle east and spent many a time in studies in the actual countries he was sent to assist in the uprising.
Also, it is to note that this did happen during WWII against the Ottoman empire. Is he an ally of the various peoples attempting to break freely of the Ottoman empire? Perhaps . However, it was on the orders of British military trying to win a way in this part of the WWI theater.
Also, it is to note that this did happen during WWII against the Ottoman empire. Is he an ally of the various peoples attempting to break freely of the Ottoman empire? Perhaps . However, it was on the orders of British military trying to win a way in this part of the WWI theater.